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".4 mail's work is from sun to sun 
But a woman's work is never done." 



A PRACTICAL REFERENCE WORK FOR HOUSEKEEPERS 



THE 





COMPRISING — 

A COMPLETE COOK BOOK— PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD 
RECIPES, AIDS AND HINTS FOR HOUSEHOLD DECORATIONS ; 
THE CARE OF DOMESTIC PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND A 
TREATISE ON DOMESTIC MEDICINE 

Including A Chapter ON J_ 1 J ri F^ r\ t_^t^ J I /C /lS I v^ The Great White Plague 

A CURABLE AND PREVENTABLE DISEASE 

BY — 

DR. LAWRENCE F. FLICK 

Medical Director of the Henry Phipps Institute for the Study, 
Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis 

GENERAL EDITORS OF THE WORK 

ALICE A. JOHNSON 

Graduate in Domestic Science of Drexel Institute, Philadelphia 

MRS. JANET McKENZIE HILL 

Editor of the Boston Cooking School Journal 

DR. HENRY HARTSHORNE, M.D., LLD. 

Author of ^'Essential of Practical Medicine" 

AND Other Specialists 

PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED 

With Color Plates, Half-Tone 
Engravings and Text Pictures 



THE UPLIFT PUBLISHING CO 

PHILADELPHIA 



COPYRIGHT 1909, BY 
M. L. DEWSNAP 



€CI.A,ciGi=l.98 






INTRODUCTION 



This volume is dedicated to the busy American housewife, in the 
hope that its use will lighten her toil and prove to be a trusted helper in the 
numerous duties which she so nobly undertakes. 

We believe that the pages of this book which are devoted to preparing 
appetizing and wholesome dishes will be welcomed as a great boon by many 
thousands of women, whether they do the work themselves or merely super- 
vise it. The many recipes here compiled cover every variety of food and are 
easy to follow in practical use ; the lists of ready-made menus for various kinds 
of meals will often be referred to, and this department will be found to con- 
tain valuable household recipes, and many general hints on serving and table- 
setting which distinguish this part of the work from the ordinary cook book. 

Every woman will gratefully receive the department of this work 
which suggests attractive ways of fixing up her home. In the leisure time 
which she may have, if she makes good use of this book, she will take pleas- 
ure in planning, with its assistance, to try inexpensive changes in the house 
and its furnishings. It is wonderful how a new arrangement of furniture, 
pictures or hangings freshen up a bedroom or living-room and adds to the 
comfort of its occupants. This section of the work also indicates how 
flowers and pets may be kept without much trouble and with a great 
addition to the family total of enjoyment. 

Workmen's bills for little jobs about the place are always a considerable 
item "of expense to the average family. They can be cut down greatly if 
the woman or man or boys of the household learn how to use a few simple 
tools. It will be well worth while to study the chapters devoted to Practical 
Mechanics in this volume and to put them into practice whenever oppor- 
tunity offers. Nearly everyone likes to make or mend things and this 
instinct, directed in the proper way, will produce results of lasting value, 



INTRODUCTION 

The pleasure of life is largely increased by a recognition of the customs 
prevalent in polished and cultivated society and the laws of etiquette 
become important to all who have to meet others in social intercourse or in 
business relations. Nor is this department without practical benefits, for 
it is generally conceded that politeness makes many a hard thing more 
easily obtained and is greatly instrumental in winning friendships w^hich 
are of real worth. 

It is intended to enable her to guard her loved ones from the menace 
of diseases which lie in wait on every hand in daily life ; to assist her in bind- 
ing up the wounds of accidental injuries quickly and correctly so as to save 
many a case from resulting seriously or even fatally through otherwise 
unavoidable neglect and delay; to show her how to nurse the invalid or 
bed-ridden so that a speedy restoration to health may follow ; and how to 
take care of her own precious health and her personal charms as nature 
intended them to be cared for. 

The Publishers. 




TABLE OF CONTENTS 



BOOK I. 

THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



PAGE 

The Art of Cooking 19 

Soups and Their Preparation 20 

Fish 24 

Shell Fish 27 

Poultry and Game Birds 30 

Meats ;i^ 

Beef 35 

Mutton 38 

Pork 39 

Hashes and Sandwiches 41 

Eggs 42 

Vegetables and Their Preparation .... 43 

Milk and Cheese 49 

Sauces and Salads 50 

Bread, Biscuit and Pastry 50 

Griddle Cakes 55 

Cereals 56 

Cakes and Cake-making 56 

Custards and Cream 60 



PAGE 

Puddings and Sauces 61 

Pies and Pastry 64. 

Jellies, Jams, Etc 66 

Ices and Ice Cream 68 

Pickles and Salads 69 

Candies and Confections 73 

Beverages 74 

Dishes for the Sick 75 

Menus for Various Occasions.. 76 

Table-setting and Serving 79 

Cuts of Meats and Their Uses 81 

Outside the Kitchen 82 

Household Utilities 86 

Laundry Work 90 

Recipes for Cleaning 92 

Household Pests 94 

Other Recipes 95 

Brief Recipes for Housekeepers 96 



BOOK II. 

HOME DECORATIONS 



How to make Attractive Home Deco- 
rations 99 

A Rustic Rug 99 

A Simple Wardrobe 99 

Bookcase 99 

Mantelpiece 100 

Screen 100 

Window Draperies 100 

Mirrors 100 

Sofa Pillows 100 

Ornamentation of Bedrooms 100 

Living-Room 10 1 

The Convenient Kitchen loi 

Window Gardens • 10 1 



Decorations for Public and Festive 

Occasions 102 

Wedding Occasions 102 

Decorating the Table 102 

Fancy Work for Leisure Hours 102 

Embroidery 102 

Stitches 103 

Things to Embroider 103 

Crocheting 103 

Knitting 103 

Decalcomanie 103 

Potpourri 104 

Wax Flowers 104 

Flower and Fruit Molds _• 105 

xi 



Xll 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Phantom Leaves 105 

Autumn Leaves and Ferns 105 

China Painting 106 

Amateur Photography 106 

Screens 106 

Care of Domestic Animals and Plants. . 106 

The Canary Bird 106 

Care of Canaries 107 

The Mocking Bird 108 

Other Song Birds 108 

Parrots 108 

Pigeons 109 



PAGE 

Rabbits no 

The Belgian Hare m 

Other Animal Pets in 

The Aquarium m 

House Plants and Flowers 112 

Geraniums 112 

Sweet Pea 112 

Azalea 112 

Hyacinths and Tulips 113 

Pansies 113 

Verbenas and Petunias 113 

The Lily and the Rose 113 



BOOK III. 

PRACTICAL MECHANICS 



Broken Window, How to Mend 117 

Knowledge Must be Paid For 118 

Carpentry Most Desirable 118 

Bricklaying and Masonry 118 

Excavating 118 

Kinds and Prices of Materials 119 

Working Drawings 119 

Woods Generally Used in Ordinary 

Carpentering 119 

Strength and Breaking Strain 121 

Tools Used in Carpentry 121 

The Divisions of the Building Trade... 126 

Work in Metals 127 

Decorative Work 127 

Practical Points in Excavating 128 

Making Good Concrete 128 

Bricklaying 129 

Soldering and Brazing 130 

Indoor and Outdoor Painting 131 

Varnishes, and Recipes for Making 

Varnishes 133 

Polishing, and Recipes for Polishing. . 134 

Paper Hanging 134 

Bells and Telephones 138 

Facts and Figures for Every Day 

Use. , ,..,,., 142 



Shingles 142 

Clap-Boards 142 

Painting 142 

Stone Work 143 

Concrete Walls 143 

Plastering 143 

Brick- Work 143 

Slating 144 

Average Weight of Animals 144 

Average Number of Cubic Feet per 
Ton of Various Substances for 

Estimating Work or Stowage. ... 145 

Workshop Recipes 145 

Engines and Boilers 147 

For Steam Heating of Houses 148 

How to Thaw Out a Frozen Steam- 
Pipe 149 

Suggestion for Hot-water Heating 

System 149 

A Cheap Filter 149 

Tables of .Measure and Weight 149 

The Metric System 150' 

Miscellaneous Tables 151 

Mensuration; or, Useful Rules for 

Computing Measurements 152 

Lumber and its Measurements 152 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Xlll 



BOOK IV. 



THE HOME BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



PAGE 

General Principles of Good Manners ... 155 

The Art of Conversation 155 

Avoid Heated Argument 156 

Consider the Feelings of Others 156 

Care in the Use of Witticisms 157 

All can be Agreeable 157 

Avoid Referring to Your Own Exploits 157 

Other Rules Worth Observing 158 

A Winning Manner 158 

Principles of Politeness 159 

Good Breeding 159 

The Demeanor of a Lady 160 

Incivilities to be Avoided 161 

Flirtation 161 

Demeanor of a Gentleman 162 

What Constitues Gentlemanly Man- 
ners 162 

The Demands of Etiquette 163 

Etiquette of Travel 163 

The Art of Dress 164 

A Well Dressed Woman 164 

Dress for Various Occasions 164 

Suitability of Apparel 165 

Public Occasions 165 

Jewelry 166 

Traveling Dress 166 

A Well Dressed Man 166 

Appropriate Costume 167 

The Shirt Waist 168 

Introductions 168 

The Introducer's Formula 169 

Salutations 170 

Calls, Formal and Informal 170 

Ending a Call 171 

Visiting and Visitors 172 

Evening Calls 172 

Entertaining Guests 173 

Bidding Guests Adieu 173 

Engraved or Printed Cards 174 

Rules for Leaving Cards 174 

Balls and Evening Parties 175 

Subscription Dances 176 

The Dressing Room 176 

The Question of Toilette 177 

In the Bail-Room 177 

Requests to Dance 178 

In the Dance 178 



PAGE 

Taking Supper 179 

After the Ball 179 

Breakfast, Luncheon and Tea 179 

Luncheon 180 

Teas and Afternoon Receptions 180 

Suppers 181 

Picnics 181 

Theatre Parties 181 

Chaperons .' 182 

Banquets and Dinners 182 

Choosing Guests . 182 

Duties of the Hostess 183 

Arranging the Table 183 

Placing the Table-ware 184 

Dress 184 

Entering the Dining Room 184 

The Dinner 185 

Dinner Courses 185 

After the Courses 186 

Retiring from the Table 186 

General Hints 187 

Wines 187 

Dinners at Restaurants 187 

Courtship and Marriage 188 

Wedding Preliminaries 189 

Bridal Gifts 189 

Flowers 190 

The Bridesmaids 190 

The Groomsmen 190 

The Bride 191 

The Ceremony 191 

The Wedding Breakfast 191 

A House Wedding 192 

Sending Cards 192 

Funeral Etiquette 193 

The House Services 193 

Flowers 194 

Mourning 194 

Anniversary and Other Occasions. . . . 195 

Gifts and Invitations 195 

Christenings 196 

Private Theatricals 196 

Etiquette for General Occasions 197 

Etiquette of the Household 197 

Table Manners 197 

Etiquette of the Street 198 

In the Electric Car 198 



XIV 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Etiquette of Business 199 

Etiquette of the Club 199 

Etiquette of Traveling 199 

Table Etiquette for Children 200 

Forms of Invitations 201 

Invitations to Parties 201 

Dinner Invitations 202 

Small Entertainments 203 

Form of English Invitations 203 

Wedding Invitations 203 

General Invitations 204 

Art of Letter Writing 205 

Style in Correspondence 205 

Forms of Address 206 

Letters of Recommendation 207 

Letters of Introduction 207 

Letters of Congratulation or Condo- 
lence 208 

Replying to Letters 209 

Punctuation 209 

Postscripts 210 

Forms of Correspondence 210 

Ordering Goods 210 

Application for a Situation as Teacher . 210 
Introducing a Young Lady Seeking 

Employment 210 

Introducing a Friend 211 

Short Form of Introduction 211 

Congratulating a Gentleman Upon His 

Marriage 211 



PAGE 

Congratulating a Young Lady Upon 

Her Marriage 211 

A Letter Sent with a Gift 211 

The Reply 211 

Soliciting a Loan from a Friend 212 

In Answer Declining, on Account of 

Incapability 212 

A Letter to a Friend (on the Anniver- 
sary of His Birthday) 212 

Reply to the Above 212 

Requesting a Friend to Execute a 

Commission 212 

Application for Subscription to a 

Charity 213 

Letters of Application 213 

Application for Position of Salesman 

and Collector 213 

Requesting the Settlement of an Ac- 
count 213 

A Demand for Payment of Rent 213 

Introducing a Young Man Seeking a 

Position 214 

Social Letters 214 

From Charles Dickens to James T. 

Fields 215 

From Charles Sumner on Leaving for 

Europe, to His Ten-year Old Sister 2 1 5 

Etiquette of Beauty 216 

How to Grow Old Gracefully 216 

Care of the Bodv 216 



BOOK v.— Part I. 

TUBERCULOSIS 

A CURABLE AND PREVENTABLE DISEASE 
By dr. LAWRENCE F. FLICK 

Medical Director of the Henry Phipps Institute for the Study, Cure and Prevention of Tuberculosis 



The Microscopic World 231 

What Consumption Is 231 

What Tuberculosis Is 231 

Distinction Between Consumption and 

Tuberculosis 232 

Recurrence of Tuberculosis 233 

Colds, Influenza and Pneumonia in 

Relation to Tuberculosis 233 

History of Consumption 233 

How Tuberculosis Got into the World. . 233 

Is Tuberculosis Inherited 234 

Predisposition to Tuberculosis. . , 234 



Diseases as Predisposing Causes of 

Consumption 235 

Dissipation as a Predisposing Cause ... 235 
Want and Overwork as Predisposing 

Causes 235 

Alcohol in Tuberculosis 236 

Climate in Tuberculosis 236 

Immunity in Tuberculosis 237 

Contagiousness of Tuberculosis 237 

Mode of Contagion of Tuberculosis .... 237 

How Contagion can be Prevented 237 

Consumption a House Disease ........ 238 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XV 



PA«E 

Hotels and Boarding Houses as Means 

of Spreading Tuberculosis 238 

Servants and Employees as Means of 

Spreading Tuberculosis 238 

Contracting Tuberculosis in the School 

Room 238 

Contracting Tuberculosis in Churches 

and Public Places 239 

Contracting Tuberciilosis in Public 

Conveyances 239 

Getting Tuberculosis on the Street .... 239 

Relationship Between Human and Bo- 
vine Tuberculosis 239 

How the Tubercle Bacillus gets into 

the System 239 

Duration of Tuberculosis 239 

Tuberculosis —a Curable Disease 240 

Remedies for Tuberculosis 240 



PAGE 

Food in the Treatment of Tuberculosis. 240 
Fresh Air in the Treatment of Tuber- 
culosis 240 

Rest and Exercise in the Treatment of 

Tuberculosis 241 

Slowness of Recovery from Tubercu- 

closis 241 

Preventability of Tuberculosis 241 

The Consumptive Protects Himself by 

Protecting Others 241 

The Government in the Prevention of 

Tuberculosis 242 

Humane Isolation of Advanced Con- 
sumptives 242 

Groundless Fear of Consumption 242 

Should Consumptives Marry? 243 

Should the Consumptive Mother 

Suckle Her Child? 243 



BOOK v.— Part II. 

THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



What is Disease 241 

Nature of Diseases 250 

General Disorders 253 

Classification of Diseases 255 

Remedies and Their Application 263 

Principal Medicine and Other Reme- 
dies 281 

Doses of Principal Medicines 305 

Nursing and Care of the Sick 308 

The Sick-Room 309 

The Sick-Bed 310 

Sick Garments 311 

Washing and Bathing 312 

Food for the Sick 313 

Giving Medicines 317 

Poisons and Their Antidotes 328 

Infancy and Childhood 332 

Clothing Infants 334 

Sleep for Children 335 

Teething 336 

Why Babies Cry 337 

What Teething Is 337 

Summer Dangers 338 



Rules for Management of Infants 338 

Rules for Diet of Infants 339 

Weaning the Infants 339 

The Laws of Hygiene 340 

Diseases Due to Impure Water 342 

Purification of Water 343 

Diseases Due to Impure Food 343 

Infectious Diseases 345 

Contagious Diseases 347 

How to Avoid Disease 348 

Muscular Exercise 348 

Modes of Exercise 349 

Clothing 350 

How to Live Long 351 

Value of Vegetable and Animal Food . . 352 

Bread 352 

Vegetables 353 

Fruits 354 

Eggs 354 

Meats 354 

Time-table for the Housekeeper 356 

The Homeopathic Treatment 357 



BOOK I. 

THE MODEL COOK BOOK 

This is a complete guide in all the duties of the kitchen, containing 
general instructions on the care of the fire and cooking. It also tells how 
to prepare all the different classes of dishes, such as soups, fish, poultry, meats, 
eggs, vegetables, sauces, breads, cakes and desserts, so that the most inex- 
perienced can provide appetizing food, and the best housekeeper can find 
very many helpful hints. In addition, it contains exact recipes for 
making all kinds of dishes, and offers sample menus for various occasions. 
The suggestions on table-setting and serving, explanations of the different 
cuts of meats, and the valuable advice on the care of the house, together 
with practical household recipes which are included, make this department 
of the work alone an everyday necessity in every home. 



The Model Cook Book 

THE ART OF COOKING— THE PREPARATION OF FOOD— RECIPES 
FOR COOKING SOUPS, MEATS AND VEGETABLES— FOR 
MAKING BREAD, PASTRY, CONFECTIONS; OTHER 
VALUABLE RECIPES FOR THE HOUSE- 
KEEPERS* NEEDS 



THE ART OF COOKING 



The section of the house which is most 
rarely seen by the visitor is the one which is 
most necessary to his comfort and that of 
the family. While the drawing-room, the 
library, the dining-room, and other apart- 
ments contribute their share to the enjoy- 
ment of life, the kitchen and its products 
are essential to existence itself. Whatever, 
therefore, it may be felt important to say 
about the arrangement and adornment of 
the rooms most in evidence in the well- 
ordered household, in all accounts of family 
life a large space needs to be devoted to the 
kitchen, that reservoir from which flows an 
endless succession of palatable viands, which 
have much to do with making life worth 
living. Of the time at our command a con- 
siderable portion is spent at the table ; eating 
and drinking occupy a large place in our 
thoughts, and, while conscious that we must 
eat to live, we do our utmost to make the 
act of eating one of the chief enjoyments of 
Hfe. 

J For this the art of the cook is all essen- 
tial. Nature offers us a great variety of 
foods, and man has learned how to combine 
and develop these into hundreds of palatabi'^ 
dishes. They can be spoiled ; nothing is 
more easy. They can be rendered unnutri- 
tious and distasteful by careless or ignorant 
handling. On the other hand, by t^^e exer- 



19 



cise of skill and care, they can be made 
nutritious, toothsome, often delightful to 
the palate, and the task of sustaining life 
can be converted into one of the leading 
pleasures of existence. How this may be 
done it is proposed to show in the following 
pages, by giving a collection of practical 
recipes for the preparation of food. In this 
it has been our purpose to combine economy 
with palatableness. Many of the recipes 
given in cook-books are so lavish in the use 
of butter, eggs, and other costly ingredients 
as to place them beyond the reach of ordi- 
nary families. This we have endeavored to 
avoid, and have also taken care to submit 
all our recipes to the inspection of expe- 
rienced housewives, giving none which have 
not received the verdict of approval. 

Man is omnivorous in appetite. He is 
at once a carnivorous and a herbivorous 
animal. A due combination of meats and 
vegetables forms the basis of our meals; 
followed, when appetite is stayed, with deli- 
cate and tasteful viands, in which all the art 
of the cook is enlisted to make them deli- 
cious. In ordinary dinner service it is cus- 
tomary to begin with soup, and follow with 
fish, meats or game, accompanied with vege- 
tables, and proceed to a dessert of pies or 
puddings, cake, fruit, and other stays to the 
failing appetite. In arranging our recipes 



THE MODEL COOK BOOlt 



we have followed in general this order, be- 
ginning with soups and proceeding through 
the solid courses to the dessert. 

The Kitchen Fire. 

To make a fire in a stove or range, take 
off the covers, brush out the ashes and 
knock all clinkers from the sides of the fire 
box. Open all the dampers. Bring shav- 
ings or paper, wood and coal. Cover the 
grate with shavings or loosely crumpled 
pieces of paper. L,ay in crosswise small 
pieces of wood, and on top of these larger 
pieces, being careful to fill all the corners 
of the fire box. Leave spaces between for 
the passage of air, and light the fire from 
underneath. 

When the wood begins to burn put on 
coal, pressing the wood down to the grate. 
Add more coal after the first supply kindles. 
As soon as the fire burns freely close the 
back damper, and when the oven is hot 
close the front damper. Never allow the 
coal to come above the edge of the fire box. 

Every stove or range has, at least, two 
dampers ; one to allow the air to pass up 
through the fire, -another to allow the gas to 
escape up the chimney and to complete the 
circulation of air. When the oven is to be 
used, the dampers should be so regulated as 
to allow the heated air to pass around the 
oven. 

In making a fire one thing should be 
borne strictly in mind. Never pour coal-oil 
on the kindling to make it burn more freely 
or on the fire to give it new life. If you 
have it in view to do this you had better 
take poison at once, and avoid the more 
painful suicide of burning to death, which 
has been the fate of so many who had the 
habit of using this dangerous material. 

To keep the fire over night, close the 
front damper and leave the back one partly 
open ; put on fresh coal and after it has 
kindled open the cooling doors to admit cold 
air over the fire. 

The stove is blackened to make it look 
well, to prevent it from rusting and to keep 
in the heat. Moisten the blacking with 
warm or cold water, making a paste about 
as thick as cream. Rub this over the stove 
while it is cold and polish with a soft brush 
after the fire is kindled. 



20 



Soups and Their Preparation. 

In making soup uncooked meat should 
always serve a^ the basic element. Cracked 
bones of cooked game or of rare beef and 
mutton may be added if desired, but the 
juices derived from raw meat can alone be 
depended upon for nourishment and flavor. 
The meat should be chopped fine, and then 
placed in cold water and allowed to soak for 
some time. If bones are used they should 
be thoroughly fractured. Heat should next 
be gradually applied and the water slowly 
brought to a boil. At no stage must it be 
allowed to boil fast. Salt has a tendency 
to harden the fibres and check the flow 
of the juices, and therefore should not 
be added till the meat is thoroughly done. 
While boiling, keep the pot covered. When 
done, strain through a cullender ; and after- 
wards, for clear soup, through a hair sieve, 
or coarse bobbinet lace. 

Let the tureen be kept covered until you 
are ready to serve the soup ; then ladle it 
out quickly and neatly, having the soup- 
plates warmed in advance. In most cases 
soup is better on the second than on the 
first day ; but it should not be warmed over 
too quickly, or left too long upon the fire 
after heating. . 

If the object be to obtain stock for soup, 
boiling must be kept up for some time, so 
as to obtain from the meat all its gelatine, 
so far as possible. The hardened albumin- 
ous matter which floats in the liquid can be 
removed by straining, so as to leave the 
soup clear. There will remain in the vessel 
a dry fibrous mass without taste and of little 
nutritive value. 

Soup is often looked upon as a light 
kind of food — useful only as a preliminary 
to other foods ; but in many countries it is 
the staple article of diet. There is no better 
way of economizing food. All the waste 
fragments of the table may be made avail- 
able in this way. The French peasant has 
his '•' pot-au-feu^'' always ready to receive 
anything from which nutriment can be 
extracted, and makes his soup, with the 
addition of bread- his main sustenance. 

Soups may be made alike from meats 
and vegetables, from shell-fish and game, 
and are capable of being very widely varied. 



Rolled Rib Roast with Riced Potatoes 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 
Remove the bones from a rib roast and skewer the meat into a round shape ; dredge 
with flour and set on a rack in dripping pan, into a hot oven. When the outside of the 
meat is seared over, add a little drippings melted in hot water ; reduce the temperature of 
the oven and bake, (weight from six to eight pounds) from sixty to ninety minutes. 
Baste often with the drippings in the pan and dredge with flour after each basting ; add 
salt to the flour when half cooked. When cooled substitute silver skewers for those used 
in the oven. Garnish with a stem of watercress and surround with Riced Potatoes. Pass 
through a ricer about eight hot boiled potatoes ; add three tablespoon fuls of butter, half a 
teaspoonful of salt, and about half a cup of hot milk or cream, beat thoroughly with 
Verforated cake spoon, and pass through the ricer, or vegetable press, around the meat. 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



We give below recipes for preparing some 
of the more desirable kinds : 

Beet Soup. — Select a shin of beef of five 
or six pounds' weight, crack the bone, 
thoroughly wash and place it in a kettle to 
boil, with five or six quarts of cold water. 
Let it boil very slowly for about six hours. 
In this way the stock is prepared, which 
may be set away for use the next day. Set 
it on an hour before dinner, add salt and 
pepper, and one carrot, two turnips, two 
tablespoonfuls of rice or pearl barley, one 
head of celery and a teaspoonful of summer 
savory powdered fine ; the vegetables to be 
minced up in small pieces. After these in- 
gredients have boiled a quarter of an hour, 
put in two potatoes cut up in small pieces ; 
let it boil half an hour longer, take the meat 
from the soup, and, if intended to be served 
with it, take out the bones and lay it closely 
and neatlj' on a dish, and garnish with sprigs 
of parsley. 

The seasoning of this soup is a matter of 
taste. Some use only salt and pepper, others 
put in a little mace and some small herbs. 
Serve very hot. 

To make a simpler stock omit the spices 
and herbs, also the vegetables. 

Veal Soup. — Put a three-pound knuckle 
of veal into three quarts of cold water, with 
salt and one small tablespoonful of uncooked 
rice. Boil slowly for three hours, or until 
the liquor is reduced to half its original 
quantity ; remove from the fire. Into the 
tureen put the yolk of one ^%z^ and stir in a 
teacup ful of cream, or new milk ; add a small 
piece of butter; on this strain the soup, 
boiling hot, stirring it all the time. 

Chicken Cream Soup. — Take two young 
or one full-grown chicken. Cut it into pieces 
and put these into a soup kettle with half a 
pound of ham, and an onion ; add four 
quarts of cold water. Bring slowly to a 
gentle boil , and keep this up until the liquid 
has diminished one- third, and the meat 
drops from the bones ; then add half a cup 
of rice. Season with salt, pepper, and a 
bunch of chopped parsley. 

Cook slowly until the rice is tender, then 
the meat should be taken out. Now, stir 
in two cups of rich milk thickened with a 



little flour. A chicken at least a year old is 
better for soup than a younger fowl. 

Mutton or Lamb Broth Take four 

pounds of lean mutton or lamb, and cut into 
small pieces, which boil slowly in a gallon 
of water, in a covered vessel, for two hours. 
Soak a half teacupful of rice in enough 
warm water to cover it, and add to the boil- 
ing soup. Cook another hour, stirring from 
time to time, to keep the rice from settling 
to the bottom. 

Beat an ^^■g to a froth, and stir into it a 
cup of milk, into which has been rubbed a 
tablespoonful of flour. Mix with this a little 
of the hot liquid, until the &%% is cooled 
sufiBciently to prevent danger of curdling. 
Then, after taking out the meat, pour this 
into the pot, season with parsley, thyme, 
salt and pepper ; let boil and serve. 

This soup is nutritious and palatable for 
the sick with the rice left in. When strained 
it makes an excellent white table soup. 

Mock Turtle or Calf's Head Soup.— 

Scald a well-cleaned calf's head, remove the 
brain, and boil the head until the meat will 
easily slip from the bone. Then take out 
the head ; cut it in small, square pieces, and 
throw them into cold water ; when cool, put 
it into a stewpan, and cover with some of 
the broth ; boil until quite tender, set aside. 

In another stewpan melt some butter, 
and in it put a quarter of a pound of lean 
ham, cut small, with herbs, also parsley and 
one onion ; add about a pint of the broth ; 
let it simmer for two hours, and then dredge 
in a small quantity of flour ; add the re- 
mainder of the broth, and a glass and a half 
of Madeira or Sherry wine ; let all stew 
quietly for ten minutes and rub it through a 
mediumsieve ; add thecalf'shead,season with 
a very little cayenne pepper and a little salt. 

Having previously prepared force-meat 
balls, add them to the soup, and serve hot. 
Serve with sliced lemon, which may be laid 
on top of the soup, or passed separately. 

Force-rieat Balls for Soup. — The force- 
meat balls, mentioned in the preceding re- 
cipe, may be thus made. Take one cupful 
of cooked veal or fowl meat, minced ; mix 
with this a handful of fine bread-crumbs, 
and the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs 



21 



THE MODEL COOtC BOOK 



rubbed smooth together with a tablespoon- 
ful of milk ; season with pepper and salt ; 
add a half teaspoonful of flour, and finish 
with two beaten eggs ; the hands must be 
well floured, and the mixture be made into 
little balls the size of a nutmeg ; drop into 
the soup twenty minutes before serving. 

Ox Tail Soup. — Boil two ox tails three 
to four hours, season with salt, black pepper 
and a small piece of ripe pepper pod. Add 
one-half cup barley, previously soaked in 
cold water three hours, a cup of tomato 
juice and a little carrot finely chopped. 
Boil all together one hour and serve hot. 

Vermicelli Soup. — Take four pounds 
of lamb, removing all fat, one pound veal and 
a slice of ham, cut up, cover with a quart of 
cold water, and let it heat slowly. Keep it 
closely covered. After an hour, add four 
quarts of boiling water, and cook till the 
meat is in shreds. Then season with salt, 
herbs, and a little Worcestershire sauce, 
boiling for ten minutes in the soup. Then 
strain and set again on the fire. Now add 
about the third of a pound of vermicelli 
which has been boiled tender. Boil up once, 
and serve. Macaroni may be used if pre- 
ferred to vermicelli. 

Philadelphia Pepper Pot. — Put two 

pounds of tripe and four calves' feet into 
the soup pot and cover them with cold 
svater ; add a red pepper, and boil until the 
calves' feet have become very tender. Then 
lake out the meat, skim and stir the liquid, 
and cut the tripe into small pieces, which 
put back into the liquid. If there is not 
enough of this add boiling water. Flavor 
with half a teaspoonful of sweet marjoram, 
sweet basil, and thyme, two sliced onions, 
sliced potatoes and salt. When these have 
boiled until almost tender, add a piece of 
butter rolled in flour, drop in some ^"g^ 
balls, boil fifteen minutes more. Serve hot. 

Noodles for Soup. — Beat up one Q^%g 
light, add a pinch of salt, and flour enough 
to make a very stiff dough ; roll out like 
thin pie crust, and dredge with flour to 
keep from sticking. Let this dry for an 
hour or more ; then roll it up into a tight 
scroll, and slice it into thin pieces. After 
all are cut, mix them lightly together, and, 



to prevent them sticking, keep them floured 
a little until you are ready to drop them into 
your soup. This should be done 15 min- 
utes before serving, for if boiled too long 
they will go to pieces. 

Fish Soup. — Select a large, fine fish, 
clean thoroughly, and put over the fire in 
water, allowing one quart for each pound 
of fish. Add an onion cut fine, and a bunch 
of sweet herbs. When the fish is cooked, 
and is quite tasteless, strain all through a 
cullender, return to the fire and add some 
butter ; then salt and pepper to taste. A 
small tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce 
may be added. Serve with small squares 
of fried bread and thin slices of lemon. 

Oyster Soup. — Strain the juice from two 
quarts of oysters, add to it a teacupful of 
water, and heat slowly in a covered vessel. 
When near boiling, season with salt and 
pepper, add the oysters, and let them stew 
for about five minutes. Heat in a separate 
vessel a quart of milk with two tablespoon- 
fuls of butter, pour in, and stir well for two 
minutes. 

Be very careful that the soup is cooked 
just enough. Too much cooking ruins the 
oysters, while they are equally ruined for 
the taste by being underdone. The plump- 
ness of the body and the ruffling of the edge 
are indications of their being in the right 
condition. Serve with sliced lemon and 
oyster or cream crackers. Mace and nut- 
meg may be used for seasoning. 

Oyster Bouillon. — Wash and chop fifty 
good-sized oysters, put them in a double 
boiler, cover and cook slowly for an hour ; 
add a pint of water, a level teaspoonful of 
celery seed, and strain through two thick- 
nesses of cheesecloth ; reheat, add a level 
tablespoonful of butter, a little salt, and 
serve in cups. 

Clam Soup. — Take twenty-five clams, 
and chop fine. Put over the fire the liquor 
that was drained from them, pour in a cup 
of water, and let boil ten minutes ; then add 
the chopped clams, and boil half an hour. 
Season to taste with pepper and salt and 
two tablespoonfuls of butter ; let it boil 
again and add one quart of milk heated to 
scalding, stir in a tablespoonful of flour made 



iMh MuDkL cook: BOOK 



to a cream wilt a little cold milk, or two 
crackers rolled fine. Some like a little 
mace and lemon juice in the seasoning. 
Serve without delay. 

Green Turtle Soup. — Chop the coarser 
meat of the turtle, with the bones, add four 
quarts of water, with salt, pepper, two 
onions, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Stew 
slowly for four hours, keeping it at a boil. 
Then strain the soup, and add the finer 
meat and the green fat of the turtle, which 
have been simmering for an hour in a quart 
of water. Thicken with brown flour and 
boil for an hour more. If there are turtle 
eggs , boil them separately for four hours , then 
throw into the soup. Use force-meat balls 
if there are no eggs. Then put in the juice 
of one lemon and a glass of Madeira wine. 
Beat up once and pour out. Any private 
family can now obtain green turtle meat for 
soup, it being preserved in air-tight cans. 

Chicken Soup. — Prepare a fowl for 
cooking. Separate it at the joints and cut 
it into small pieces. Put the meat into a 
saucepan with three pints of water and cook 
it slowly from 2)^ to 3 hours, or until very 
tender. Then take out the meat, let the 
liquor continue to boil, and to it add two 
tablespoonfuls of rice, two tablespoonfuls of 
finely cut onion, which has been fried in a 
little butter until soft, but not brown, and 
three peppercorns . Remove the gristle from 
the meat and put the meat, with one tea- 
spoonful of salt, into the soup, and simmer 
until the rice is very soft. A little white 
pepper and celery salt may be added, if 
desired. If the water boils away during the 
cooking, add more boiling water. Serve 
the soup with croutons. 

Croutons. — Cut slices of stale bread Y^ 
incb thick. Cut off the crusts and divide 
the slices into ^ inch cubes. Place them 
on a tin sheet and bake them until golden- 
brown. Serve with stews and soups. 

Vegetable Soup. — Scrape one small car- 
rot and pare one small turnip, removing a 
thick skin. Grate and add them to one cup 
of soup stock and let it simmer 45 minutes. 
Pare one potato, cut it into small cubes and 
add it to the stock after the turnip and 
carrot have cooked 15 minutes. Add some 



23 



tomato , if desired . The soup may be varied 
by using rice or noodles with the stock, in- 
stead of vegetables . 

Thick Vegetable Soup.— Put i lb. shin 
bone into one pint cold water with one-half 
teaspoonful each of salt and sugar, let it sim- 
mer. Brown two sliced onions in one table- 
spoonful of butter, stir in an equal quantity 
of flour and brown it ; add one cup boiling 
water gradually, and, when the mixture is 
smooth and thick, stir it into the soup. Cut 
two carrots and two turnips in small squares, 
and some celery in ^ inch strips, and add 
them. Simmer two hours. Three quarters 
of an hour before serving slice two potatoes, 
parboil 5 minutes, and add them and one- half 
teaspoonful of pepper. One tablespoonful 
of chopped parsley may be added just before 
serving. Remove the bone, separate the 
meat, if there is any, into small pieces, and 
serve in the soup. Do not put any fat 
meat into the soup . 

Green Pea Soup. — Put the empty pods 
of a half peck of peas into a gallon of water, 
and boil for an hour. Then strain, put 
in four pounds of chopped beef, and boil 
slowly an hour and a half. Then add the 
peas ; boil half an hour, adding ten minutes 
before serving a half cup of rice flour, salt, 
pepper, and chopped parsley. Strain into a 
hot tureen. 

Dried Pea Soup. — One gallon of water, 
one quart of soaked peas ; boil slowly for 
two hours. Then press the peas through a 
cullender with a wooden spoon, and return 
to the pot, adding a small head of celery, 
chopped, and a little parsley or summer 
savory. If the soup becomes too thick add 
more water. Place in the bottom of the 
tureen small pieces of toasted bread, or 
scatter bread that has been fried in butter 
until brown on the surface of the soup, after 
it has been poured into the tureen. 

Pea Porridge. — Shell the peas and put 
the pods on to boil, cooking about an hour. 
Drain off the water, and put it over the fire ; 
add the peas, some potato cut in small 
pieces, a bunch of pot-herbs, and a small 
onion. When these are well cooked add a 
quart of milk, and thicken with flour and 
butter rubbed together, and salt and peppei 



THE MODEL COOK BOOk 



to taste. Small dumplings are an addition, 
if liked. 

Bean Soup. — Cook three pints soup or 
marrowfat beans, with one and one half 
pounds of fresh pork. When done remove 
the meat. Take out a dish of beans to 
serve for dinner. Take a pint of beans and 
run them through a sieve. Have as much 
water as iaecessary, for the amount of soup 
desired to make, add the pulp and a table- 
spoonful of butter, make thickening of one 
tablespoonful of flour and one-half cup 
sweet milk, one well-beaten ^%z^ ^^^ one 
onion cut fine. 

Black Bean Soup. — Take one cup black 
beans, soak several hours or over night ; 
put to boil in one quart cold water. Slice 
half a small onion, and fry it in a table- 
spoonful of butter. Add it to the beans, 
and simmer four or five hours, or until the 
beans are soft, adding cold water so as to 
keep the quantity one quart. Cook together 
one tablespoonful each flour and butter, and 
add to the soup after it is strained. Season 
with a tablespoonful salt and a sprinkle 
of pepper and mustard. Any other dried 
beans may be used in making this soup. 

Corn Soup. — Stew one-half can or two 
cups corn with one- half cup water until 
soft. Scald one pint milk, with salt and 
pepper added, in the top of a double boiler; 
add one-half tablespoonful of sugar. Pour 
in the corn, and strain it if desired. 

Chicken Corn Soup. — ^Take a large 
chicken, cut into pieces, and boil with the 
cobs of the corn in a gallon of water till 
tender. Then put into the pot the green 
corn cut from a dozen ears, and stew gently 
for an hour longer. Remove the chicken 
and the cobs, season the soup with pepper, 
salt, and parsley, thicken with rice or wheat 
floiir, boil up again, and serve. There is 
no need to strain if the corn is young. 

The chicken, unless boiled to rags, may 
be served in a fricasee. For this, beat up 
an &%'g and a tablespoonful of butter, adding 
some liquor from the soup, and boil for a 
moment. Thicken with flour, season, and 
pour hot over the chicken. Garnish dish 
with parsley and slices of hard-boiled egg. 

Graham Soup.— Chop up finely three 
onions, three carrots, four turnips, and a 



bunch of celery. Put on the fire in about 
three quarts of water. Simmer half an hour, 
then add a small cabbage, which has been 
parboiled and cut up. In fifteen minutes 
more put in a pint of stewed tomatoes and 
a bunch of sweet herbs, and boil briskly for 
twenty minutes. Then rub through a cul- 
lender, and boil again, adding pepper and 
salt and a tablespoonful of butter. Some 
cream, thickened with corn starch, may be 
added, if convenient. Give it a brief boil, 
and it is ready to serve. 

Tomato Soup. — Stew a quart of peeled 
tomatoes until soft, strain, and add a pinch 
of soda. Set over the fire again, adding a 
quart of hot milk ; season with salt and 
pepper, a piece of butter the size of an ^%%., 
and three tablespoonfuls of rolled cracker, 
and serve hot. Canned tomatoes may be 
used in place of fresh ones. 

Potato Soup. — Three potatoes, one and 
one-half cups water, three cups milk, one 
onion, three teaspoonfuls salt, one and one- 
half tablespoonfuls flour, one and one-half 
tablespoonfuls butter. Boil potatoes until 
soft, drain and mash them. Cook the onions 
in the milk ; add this to the mashed pota- 
toes, add the salt and pepper. Melt the 
butter in a pan, add flour, add this to the 
soup, let boil up once, strain and serve hot. 

Cream of Tomato or Mock Bisque 
Soup. — Stew one can tomatoes until soft, 
strain, and add one-half teaspoonful soda. 
Melt three tablespoonfuls butter in a sauce» 
pan, and stir in two tablespoonfuls flour. 
Cook it, stirring until the flour swells and is 
smooth. Pour in one quart scalded milk 
gradually and cook, stirring constantly, 
until the mixture thickens ; add one teaspoon- 
ful salt and one-eighth teaspoonful pepper. 
Add the tomato, and serve immediately in 
a hot covered dish. If the soup curdles, 
beat it with an egg-beater until smooth. 

Fish. 

The variety of edible fish is very con- 
siderable, most of them being wholesome 
and nutritious. Yet white- fleshed and red- 
fleshed fish, oily fish, shell-fish, etc., difier 
widely in their properties. In general, fish 
contain less fat than ordinary meat, while 



24 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



often much richer in nitrogenous tissue. 
The suitability of fish for the table varies 
with the season, its food supply, the length 
of time it has been taken out of the water, 
and the treatment it has received. It is in 
the highest condition just before the spawn- 
ing time, being then fatter and of richer 
flavor. Herring, mackerel, and many other 
fish are best immediately after being caught, 
while the ray and some similar fish improve 
by keeping for several hours. 

As a rule, white fish are more digestible 
than red fish, and the less oily than the very 
oily. Among those best suited for weak 
stomachs are fresh- water fish, such as shad, 
whiting, etc. Salmon, while the most es- 
teemed of table fishes, has an evil reputation 
with dyspeptics — this being probably due 
less to the fish itself than to its condition 
when cooked and its accompaniments. 

Fish of all kinds should be eaten as fresn 
as possible, and should be kept near the ice 
until cooked. A fish in good condition 
should have firm flesh, bright- red gills, and 
full, clear eyes, with little odor about it. 
Before cooking it should be thoroughly 
cleaned and wiped with a cloth wet with 
salt water. For frying and broiling pur- 
poses oily fish, such as shad, mackerel, her- 
ring, salmon, and bluefish, are the best, as 
they do not become dry. 

Fried Fish. — Most of the smaller fish are 
eaten fried. They are generally termed pan- 
fish. Clean well, cut off" the head, and, if 
the fish is large, cut out the backbone, and 
slice the body crosswise. Season with salt 
and pepper. Dip in Indian meal, or wheat 
flour, or use beaten &%^ and roll in bread or 
fine cracker crumbs (trout and perch should 
not be dipped in meal). Cook in a thick 
bottomed iron frying-pan, laying the flesh 
side down, and using hot lard or drippings. 
Fry slowly, turning when lightly browned. 

Steamed Fish. — Bend the body of the 
fish in a circle, pour over it half a pint of 
vinegar, season with pepper and salt, and 
let it stand an hour in a cool place. Then 
pour off" the vinegar, and put the fish into a 
steamer over boiling water, and steam 
twenty minutes, or longer for large fish. 
When the meat easily separates from the 
bone it is done. Drain well, and serve on a 



25 



napkin placed on the platter, decorating with 
sprigs of curled parsley. 

Broiled Shad.— Split and wash the shad, 
and dry it in a cloth. Season with salt and 
pepper. Grease the gridiron well, heat it, 
and lay the shad upon it, the flesh side 
down. Cover with a dripping-pan and broil 
for about a quarter of an hour, or more, ac- 
cording to the thickness. The fire must be 
clear and hot. Butter well, and send to the 
table . Covering the fish while broiling gives 
it a better flavor. 

Broiled Salmon.— Cut into slices an 
inch thick, and season with pepper and salt. 
Having buttered a sheet of white paper, lay 
each slice on a separate piece, and envelope 
them by twisting the ends. Broil gently 
over a clear fire, and serve with anchovy or 
caper sauce. When higher seasoning is re- 
quired, add a few ciiopped herbs and a little 
spice. 

Boiled Fresh Codfish. — Before cooking, 
soak in slightly salted water for half an 
hour. Then wipe dry, and wrap in a linen 
cloth, dredged with flour, and sew up the 
edges. Put into the kettle, with plenty of 
hot water, and boil briskly, allowing fifteen 
minutes for each pound. The fish is suf- 
ficiently cooked when the flesh separates 
from the bone. 

The sauce is prepared by stirring into 
two gills of boiling water and milk two 
tablespoonfuls of butter, rolled in flour, and 
adding, as it thickens, two beaten eggs. 
Season with salt and parsley, and, on with- 
drawing from the fire, add pickled nastur- 
tium or celery seeds. Put the fish in a hot 
dish and pour the sauce over it. Garnish 
with parsley and circles of hard boiled eggs. 

Rock fish and bass may be cooked in the 
same manner, but will need less boiling. 

Shad Roe. — Drop into boiling water and 
cook for twenty minutes. Take from fire. 
Butter a tin plate and lay the roe on it ; 
dredge with salt and pepper and spread with 
butter, then dredge with flour ; cook in oven 
for half an hour. Baste frequently with 
salt, pepper, butter, flour and water. 

Salt Codfish Balls. — Soak shredded 
codfish in cold water about ten minutes and 
drain. Add an equal amount of mashed 



iO 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



potatoes, a small piece of butter and one 
^<g% well beaten. Mix thoroughly and 
shape into balls or cakes, first flouring 
your hands. Fry in smoking hot fat. 

Fishballs, oysters, and croquettes should 
be fried in a bath of smoking hot fat. Melt 
the fat (olive oil, lard, cottolene, or beef 
dripping) in a deep pot, and when it begins 
to smoke, drop in a small cube of bread. 
If in forty seconds the bread browns, the 
fat is hot enough for frying cooked foods, 
such as fishballs and croquettes, or foods 
which need little cooking, such as oysters. 
All fried foods should be drained on soft 
brown paper. Care should be taken not to 
cook too much food at one time, because 
the cold food lowers the temperature of the 
fat and thus makes the food greasy. The 
fat may be strained and used many times. 

Codfish Balls. — To make these, prepare 
the fish as for boiling. Cut into pieces and 
boil twenty minutes. Pour off the water, 
cover again with boiling water, and boil 
twenty minutes more. Then drain and lay 
out to cool. When cold, pick to pieces 
with a fork, leaving only the flesh, and 
shredding it fine. Add an equal bulk of 
mashed potatoes, and work into a stiff bat- 
ter with the aid of butter and sweet milk. 
Make the mixture into balls or cakes, first 
flouring your hands. Fry in smoking-hot 
lard to a light brown. Or use the cod and 
potatoes alone, molding into the shape of 
biscuits. 

Baked Shad. — In the opinion of many 
people, the best way to cook a shad is to 
bake it. For this, fill it with bread-crumbs, 
salt, pepper, butter, and parsley, and mix 
this up with the beaten yolks of eggs. 
Then sew it up or fasten a string around it. 
Pour over the fish a little water and some 
butter, and bake as you would a fowl. An 
hour or more will be needed to bake. Gar- 
nish with slices of lemon, water cresses, etc. 

Boil up the gravy in which the shad 
was baked, put in a teaspoonful each of 
catsup and brown flour, the juice of a lemon, 
and a glass of sherry or Madeira wine. 
Pour on the shad as a dressing. Serve in a 
sauce-boat or suitable dish. 

Baked Whitefish.— Clean the fish and 
cut off the head> if preferred ; cut ov*- the 



26 



backbone to within two inches of the tail, 
and stuff the fish with the following mix- 
ture : Soak stale bread in water ; fry in 
butter a large onion, and chop fine ; add the 
bread, squeezed dry, two ounces of butter, 
and salt, pepper, and a little parsley or 
sage ; heat through, take off the fire, and 
add the yolks of two well-beaten eggs. Sew 
the fish, when filled, with fine twine, and 
wrap with several coils of white tape. Rub 
it over slightly with butter, cover the bot- 
tom of a baking pan with hot water, and 
place the fish in it, back upward. Serve 
with the following dressing : Reduce the 
yolks of two hard-boiled eggs to a smooth 
paste with two tablespoonfuls good salad 
oil ; stir in half a teaspoonful English mus- 
tard, and add pepper and vinegar to taste. 

Baked Salmon. — Clean, wipe dry, and 
rub with salt and pepper. Then lay the 
fish on a grating over your baking-pan, and 
roast or bake, basting at first with butter, 
and afterwards with its own drippings. If 
browning too fast, cover with a sheet of 
white paper until the whole is cooked. 
Then put in a hot covered dish, and add to 
the gravy a little hot water thickened with 
flour, a large spoonful of strained tomato 
sauce, and the juice of a lemon. Let this 
boil up, and serve in a sauce-boat. If you 
prefer, you can serve with cream sauce. 

Stewed Catfish — Skin, clean, and cut 
off the heads. Sprinkle with salt, and lay 
in a cool place. Then cover with cold 
water in a saucepan, and stew gently for 
thirty or forty minutes, according to size. 
Add a small onion, chopped, some dropped 
parsley, pepper, and a paste made of flour 
and butter. Boil up, take out the fish, and 
lay in a deep dish, pouring the gravy over 
the fish. Serve in a covered dish. 

Fried Catfish. — Prepare as above. Beat 
two or three eggs, in which dip the fish, 
and then dip into powdered cracker. Fry 
quickly in hot lard or dripping. Serve as 
soon as done. 

Boiled Salmon Trout. — Clean, wash, 
and dry the fish. Wrap in a thin cloth, 
cover with salted water, and boil gently for 
half an hour, or longer for large fish. 
When done, remove the cloth and lay in a 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



It 



iiot dish. Pour over it cream sauce and 
serve. The cream sauce is made of a cup 
of cream, diluted with a few spoonfuls of 
hot water, stirring in two tablespoonfuls 
melted butter and some chopped parsley. 

Fried Trout. — Brook trout are usually 
served fried. After cleaning and drying, 
roll in flour, and fry in butter, or butter 
and lard. L,et the fat be hot, fry to a deli- 
cate brown, and serve instantly. Use no 
seasoning except salt. Lay on a hot nap- 
kin, to absorb any external grease, and 
rang& side by side in a heated dish. 

Canned Salmon. — Canned salmon may 
be served cold with any of the fish sauces. 
For a breakfast dish it may be heated, sea- 
soned with salt and pepper and served on 
butterea toast, with a dressing of milk thick- 
ened witn butter and flour poured over it. 

Breakfast flackerel. — Soak the fish over 
night, next morning put in a skillet in cold 
water. Let come to a boil and pour off 
water, add more and let come to a scald ; 
take up, spread over with butter, dredge 
with flour and set in oven to brown. 

Terrapin. — Cut off head and dress. Boil 
till tender with a little salt and a pinch of 
soda added to the water. When tender take 
from water and pick to pieces, add a few 
cracker crumbs, one onion, parsley, allspice, 
salt and pepper, add two tablespoonfuls of 
butter. Boil liquor down, pour over fish ; 
garnish with slices of lemon and bake a 
light brown. 

Mock Terrapin — Take half a calf's liver, 
season and fry brown. Hash it not very 
fine ; dredge thickly with flour ; take one 
teaspoonful of mixed mustard, a pinch of 
cayenne pepper, two hard-boiled eggs 
chopped fine, a piece of butter size of an 
^%g, one teacup of water. Boil together a 
minute or two and serve. 

Turtle.— Cut off the head, and scald, 
scrape and clean thoroughly. Put on to 
boil, shell and all, add salt and pepper, and 
cook until very tender, pick meat from 
shell, season with butter, and thicken with 
a tablespoonful of flour and a litl^e milk. 

Fried Eels. — After cleaning the eels 
well, cut in pieces about two inches long, 



27 



wash them and wipe them dry, roll them in 
flour or crackers, fry in hot lard. They should 
be browned all over and thoroughly done. 

Fish Chowder. — ^Take i lb. cod or had- 
dock ; put the head, bones, fins and skin 
into one cup cold water and let simmer. 
In one tablespoonful of dripping brown one 
small onion. Pare and slice two potatoes 
and parboil five minutes. Strain the fish bones 
from the water, add the potatoes, scrape in 
the browned onion, and add salt and pepper. 
Bring to a boil, then add the fish, cut into 
inch pieces ; simmer from ten to twenty min- 
utes, or until the fish and potatoes are done. 
Take two tablespoonfuls each of flour and 
butter and one cup of milk, and cook to- 
gether to make a white sauce ; add it to the 
chowder, boil, and add two crackers broken 
into quarte' Serve in a hot dish. 

Fish S: iice. — Put four tablespoonfuls 
butter into a saucepan, and cook in it the 
same measure of flour. Add two cups 
boiling water, milk or fish-stock, four table- 
spoonfuls of butter, and season with salt 
and pepper. Boil five minutes and serve. 
This is often cabled drawn-butter sauce. To 
make &%;g sauce add to above two or three 
chopped hard-boiled eggs. 

Shell Fish. 

Of shell-fish the oyster is the general 
favorite among epicures and everyday people 
alike. It is more wholesome eaten raw than 
when cooked, the flesh being coagulated 
and hardened by cooking. The least digest- 
ible part is the firm hard section of muscle, 
by which the animal was fastened to the 
shell. Persons of weak digestion should 
reject this portion. The clam, while it may 
be made into various palatable dishes, is 
much tougher and less digestible than the 
oyster. As regards the crab and lobster, 
they are favorite epicurean dishes, but not 
from their digestibility, since they are un- 
fitted for weak stomachs. Many persons of 
fairly good powers of digestion find the crab 
or lobster a heavy load upon the stomach. 

Fried Oysters. — Remove all bits of shell 
from oysters, lay them on a clean cloth, and 
pat them gently to dry them . Shake salt and 
pepper over them. Beat an ^%%^ and stir 



12 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



into it one tablespoonful cold water or milk. 
Sprinkle some fine crumbs with salt and 
pepper. Dip the oysters in the crumbs, 
then in the beaten ^z%, and again in the 
crumbs, covering them over each time. 
Fry them in deep, hot fat, drain on brown 
paper, and serve on a hot dish. 

Fried Oysters. — Take large oysters from 
their own liquor, and dry them in a thickly 
folded napkin. Then heat an ounce each of 
butter and lard in a thick- bottomed frying- 
pan. Season the oysters with pepper and 
salt, and dip each into ^%<g and cracker- 
crumbs rolled fine, until it will take up no 
more. Place them in the hot grease and 
fry to a delicate brown, turning them with 
a broad-bladed knife. Serve crisp and hot. 
Some roll oysters in corn-meal or flour, but 
they are much more crisp ' th ^%^ and 
cracker-crumbs . 

5mall Oyster Pies.— Take a tin plate 
half the size of an ordinary dinner plate ; 
butter it, and cover the bottom with a puff 
paste, as for pies. Lay on it five or six 
select oysters, or enough to cover the bot- 
tom ; butter, and season with a little salt 
and plenty of pepper ; spread over this an 
^^•g batter, and cover with an upper crust of 
the paste, piercing it with a fork. Bake in 
a hot oven fifteen to twenty minutes, or 
until the top is nicely browned. Repeat 
this process for each pie. 

Stewed Oysters. —Drain the liquor from 
two quarts of oysters, mix it with a teacup- 
ful of hot water, season with salt and pepper, 
and boil in a saucepan. After it has come 
to a boil put in the oysters, and cook not 
over five minutes. Add two tablespoonfuls 
of butter, and when this is melted a cupful 
of boiling milk. Then take from the fire, 
and serve with oyster or cream crackers. 

Broiled Oysters — Let these be large 
and plump. Wipe dry, sprinkle with salt 
and red pepper, and broil on a small grid- 
iron made for this purpose. Butter the 
gridiron well, and have a clear, hot fire. 
Broil quickly, and serve hot, with a small 
bit of butter on each oyster. 

Brown sauce for broiled oysters may be 
prepared as follows : Heat a cup of oyster 
juice ; stir two tablespoonfuls butter in a 



28 



pan over the fire till it is a delicate brown ; 
add four tablespoonfuls flour, and when well 
mixed add the oyster juice slowly, and then 
a cup of hot milk or cream. Season with 
salt and pepper, and keep over a pan of hot 
water till needed. A few cloves or a stick 
of mace may be used to flavor the sauce. 

Scalloped Oysters. — Crush several hand- 
ful» of crackers, and put a layer in the bot- 
tom of a buttered dish, wetting it with a 
mixture of the oyster j nice and milk . Then 
place a layer of oysters, seasoned with salt 
and pepper, another layer of moistened 
cracker dust, and so on till the dish is full, 
the upper layer being a thick one of crumbs. 
Stick bits of butter thickly over it, cover 
the dish, and bake half an hour in the oven. 
If not brown on top, remove the cover, and 
set the dish on the upper grating of the oven. 

Panned Oysters. — Put the oysters into 
a saucepan without water, and shake them 
over a moderate fire until they look plump 
and their edges are curled. For twenty-five 
oysters add two tablespoonfuls butter, salt 
and pepper, stirring the seasoning in well. 
Serve in a hot dish ; if desired, on slices of 
toast. 

Creamed Oysters. — Cook as for panned 
oysters ; drain in a strainer ; make a cup of 
white sauce, and stir the oysters into the 
hot sauce. Serve on toast ; or sprinkle 
with bread crumbs, browned in butter. For 
the white sauce, see Fish Chowder. 

Creamed Clams — Have twenty-five 
clams chopped fine. Put in a chafing dish 
two tablespoonfuls butter ; when melted 
add two tablespoonfuls flour. Add the 
clams with half a pint of their j nice ; season 
well with pepper and salt. Let them sim- 
mer from ten to fifteen minutes. Just before 
serving add a gill of sweet cream, and let 
come to a boil. Serve hot. 

Steamed- Oysters. — Drain one quart of 
select oysters, put in pan and place in 
steamer over boiling water, cover and steam 
until oysters are plump with edges ruffled ; 
place in buttered dish with butter, pepper 
and salt and serve. 

Oyster Fritters. — To a cupful of oyster 
juice add one cupful milk, three eggs, a 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



13 



little salt, and flour to make a thin batter. 
Chop the oysters and stir into batter. Place 
in the pan a few spoonfuls of lard, heat 
very hot, and drop in the batter by the 
tablespoonful. Take from the pan as soon 
as done to a yellow brown and serve very 
hot. Some put one whole oyster to each 
fritter ; in this case a thicker batter is 
needed. 

Oyster Sauce. — Boil twenty-five oysters 
in their own juice for one minute, stirring 
steadily. Drain, put back the liquor on 
the fire ; add one cup milk, rub a table- 
spoonful of butter and two of flour to a 
smooth paste, and stir in the hot liquid till 
it thickens. Chop the oysters small, add 
them to the sauce, season with salt and pep- 
per, and take from the fire. Serve with 
poultry and boiled fish. 

Clam Fritters. — Take fifty small or 
twenty-five large clams, cut each in two if 
large. Lay them on a thickly folded nap- 
kin, and put a pint of wheat flour into a 
basin, adding three well-beaten eggs, and 
half a pint or more of clam juice. Beat the 
batter until it is smooth and perfectly free 
from lumps, then stir in the clams. Put 
plenty of lard into a thick-bottomed frying- 
pan, let it become boiling hot, and put in 
the batter by the spoonful. Fry gently, 
and when one side is a delicate brown, turn 
the other. 

Clam Chowder. — For this take fifty 
clams, a bowl of salt pork, cut up fine, and 
one of onions, finely chopped, with the 
same or a greater quantity of potatoes cut 
into small pieces. Fry the pork very 
gently, and when brown take it out and put 
in the onions to fry. This should be done 
in a frying-pan, and the chowder-kettle be 
made very clean before they are put in it, 
or the chowder will burn. Sprinkle some 
of the pork in the bottom of the pot, place 
Dn it a layer of clams, seasoned with salt 
and pepper and covered with bits of butter. 
Next have a layer of onion and one of small 
crackers moistened with milk. On this 
pour some of the fat from the frying-pan, 
and then repeat the process, continuing till 
the pot is nearly full. Cover now with 
water and stew slowly, for forty-five min- 
utes. Drain off" the liquor that flows freely, 



and, after emptying the chowder from the 
pot, return this liquor. Thicken it with 
flour or cracker dust, add some wine and 
catsup, boil, and pour over the contents of 
the tureen. 

Devilled Crabs. — Extract the meat from 
boiled crabs and mince it finely. Season 
well with mustard, cayenne, salt, and some 
sharp sauce. Toss and stir till well mixed, 
and cook in a covered saucepan, with just 
enough water to keep the meat from burn- 
ing. For dressing, use pulverized cracker, 
moistened with a tablespoonful of cream, 
and with vinegar until thin. After the 
water has come to a boil stir this in. Next 
stir in a tablespoonful of butter, boil again, 
and take from the fire. Serve in the shell 
of the crab, if desired. 

Lobster Croquettes. — Add pepper, salt, 
and powdered mace to the meat of a boiled 
lobster, chopped fine. Mix with this a quar- 
ter of its quantity of bread crumbs, and mold 
into pointed balls, with the aid of two table- 
spoonfuls of melted butter. Roll in beaten 
^Z%, then in cracker dust, and fry in butter 
or sweet lard. Serve dry and hot. 

Lobster Salad. — Extract all the meat 
from a cold boiled lobster, and mince it, ex- 
cept the coral, which is reserved for the 
dressing. For this take four hard boiled 
eggs, and rub the yolks to a smooth paste 
in a bowl or mortar, gradually rubbing in 
two tablespoonfuls salad oil, and one tea- 
spoonful each of jnustard, salt, white sugar, 
cayenne pepper, and Harvey's or other 
sauce. Lastly add the coral, which musi 
be worked well upon a plate with a spatula. 
Moisten with vinegar as the ingredients 
stiffen, adding until the mixture is thin 
enough to pour over the minced lobster. 
Toss with a silver fork, taking care not to 
break the meat. Chopped lettuce may be 
mixed with the salad. Garnish the dish 
around its edges with curled lettuce, or 
rings cut from the white of the boiled eggs. 
Lobster salad should be eaten soon. It be- 
comes unwholesome if it stand long. 

Broiled and Baked Lobsters. — Lob- 
sters which are to be broiled or baked are 
killed by cutting them into halves ; the 
stomach and long intestine are theu re- 



29 



14 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



moved, the lobster basted with melted but- 
ter, dusted slightly with salt and pepper, 
and, if baked, placed in a very hot oven for 
half an hour, basting frequently. If broiled, 
arrange in a broiler, sear quickly the flesh 
side, and broil, shell side down, at an ele- 
vation of six inches over a perfectly clear 
coal fire for about 30 minutes, or, if under- 
neath a gas stove, with the flesh side up, 
basting four or five times while broiling. 
Serve immediately with melted butter sauce. 

Scallops Fricasseed or Fried. — Of scal- 
lops only the muscular part is used. Fri- 
casseed they form one of the nicest of lunch- 
eon dishes. Wash them thoroughly in cold 
water, drain, and pour over suflBcient boil- 
ing water to cover ; bring them to the boil- 
ing point and drain again. To each pint 
allow two tablespoonfuls of butter, two 
tablespoonfuls of flour, half a pint of milk 
and the yolks of four eggs. Put the butter 
and flour into a saucepan ; when mixed add 
the milk and stir until boiling ; add the 
scallops, a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of 
pepper, just a grating of nutmeg, and when 
hot add the yolks slightly beaten, a table- 
spoonful of chopped parsley, and serve at 
once. Scallops may also be dipped in &%% 
and breadcrumbs, fried in smoking-hot fat 
and served with tomato ketchup or sa\tce. 

Poultry and Game Birds. 

The term poultry includes chickens, tur- 
keys, ducks, and geese. Its flesh is lighter 
in color than that of other animals, but it is 
very nourishing. The flesh of ducks, geese, 
and many wild birds is much darker than 
that of the chicken or turkey. The flesh of 
birds is never mottled, like that of mam- 
mals ; that is, it does not contain fat in 
layers between the musuclar tissue, though 
there may be much fat in other parts of the 
body. The flavor and digestibility of the 
flesh of birds differ considerably, and the 
flavor is much affected by the food. The 
white meat of birds is generally considered 
the most tender, and the dark meat the most 
savory and stimulating. 

Roast Turkey. — Be careful to choose a 
young turkey. Remove the feathers care- 
fully, and singe over a burning newspaper 
on the top of the stove ; then carefully 



"draw" the fowl, being heedful not to 
break any of the internal organs. Remove 
the crop, cut off" the head, and tie the neck 
close -to the body by drawing the skin over 
it. This done, the inside of the turkey must 
be carefully rinsed out with several waters, 
a teaspoonful of baking soda being mixed in 
the next to the last. The inside of a fowl 
is often sour, if it has not been freshly killed, 
and soda acts as a corrective to this. 
Next wipe the turkey dry, inside and out, 
with a clean cloth, rub the inside with some 
salt, and fill with the dressing described be- 
low. Then sew up the body with a strong 
thread, tie the legs and wings to the body, 
rub with a little soft butter, sprinkle with 
salt and pepper, and dredge with a little 
flour. Now place the turkey in a dripping 
pan, pour in a cup of boiling water, and set 
it in the oven. Baste often, turning the 
bird around occasionally so that every part 
will be uniformly done. If the liquid runs 
out clear when the body is pierced, the bird 
is done. If any part is likely to scorch, pin 
over it a piece of buttered white paper. A 
fifteen-pound turkey requires between three 
and four hours to bake. Serve with cran- 
berry sauce. 

Turkey or Chicken Dressing. — Crum- 
ble one loaf of bread fine, soften with melted 
butter, cover closely, let stand from half to 
one hour, then add salt, pepper and a little 
sage and onions, mix thoroughly. 

Chestnut Dressing for Turkey. — For a 

ten-pound turkey, one quart of Spanish or 
two quarts of common chestnuts will be re- 
quired. Shell, blanch and boil them until 
tender; drain, mash or chop fine; add a 
tablespoonful of butter, a teaspoonful of salt 
and a saltspoonful of pepper. Mix and 
stuff" into the turkey. 

Roast Turkey with Oysters. — Clean a 
turkey and lay it in a dripping pan ; prepare 
a dressing of stale bread, composed of one 
quart of bread crumbs and one cupful of 
butter, and water enough to moisten. Add 
to this two dozen oysters and pepper and 
salt to taste. Mix all, and stuff" the turkey 
with it ; and put butter over the outside ; 
put some water in the dripping pan, set it in 
the oven and bake until done, basting quite 
often- Never parboil a young turkey. 



3^-» 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



15 



Gravy for Turkey. — When the turkey 
is put in to roast, place the neck, heart, 
liver and gizzard in a stew-pan with a pint 
of water, and boil until they become quite 
tender. Then, chop the heart and gizzard, 
mash the liver, and throw away the neck. 
Return the chopped meat to the liquor in 
which it was stewed. When the turkey is 
done this material should be added to the 
gravy that dripped during the roasting, the 
fat being first skimmed from the surface of 
the dripping-pan. Set it then o\er the fire, 
boil three minutes and thicken with flour. 
Brown flour will not be needed to color the 
gravy. The garnishes for turkey or chicken 
are fried oysters, thin slices of ham, slices of 
lemon, fried sausages, or force-meat balls. 
Parsley is also used. 

Fried Chicken or Beef Qravy. — Add 

one tablespoon ful of flour to the fryings 
after the meat has been taken up ; stir rap- 
idly, and do not allow it to scorch ; add one 
pint sweet milk, salt and pepper to taste; 
let boil until thick. 

Roast Chicken — Pick and draw your 
chicken, wash in two or three waters, and 
add a little soda to the last but one if there 
is any doubtful odor. Fill the bodies and 
crops with a filling of bread crumbs, butter, 
pepper, salt, etc., as described for roast tur- 
key; sew them up, and roast an hour or 
more, according to size. Baste at first with 
butter and water, and afterwards with the 
gravy from the pan. A little hot water 
should be put in the pan to prevent burning. 

Stew the neck and giblets in a little 
water, and, after removing the chickens 
from the pan, pour this into the drippings ; 
boil up once ; add the giblets, chopped fine ; 
thicken with browned flour, and serve in a 
gravy boat. The chickens may be served 
with tomato sauce or crab-apple jelly. 

Roast Goose.— The goose should be ab- 
solutely young ; fill with dressing made of 
two pints bread crumbs, one onion chopped 
, fine, three tablespoonfuls butter, one ^Z'g^ 
slice of pork chopped fine ; salt and pepper. 
Put in roaster, and sprinkle with salt, pepper 
and flour ; put one quart of boiling water in 
roaster and cook from three to four hours. 
Boil the giblets tender ; chop for the gravy ; 



31 



thicken gravy with a little flour and milk. 
Serve goose with apple sauce. 

Fricasseed Chicken. — For this the fowls 
need not be as tender as for roasting. Clean, 
wash, and cut up, and place for half an hour 
in salt water. Then put into a pot, with 
half a pound of salt pork, and cover with 
cold water. Cover the pot, let them heat 
very slowly, and then stew for over an hour, 
or much longer if the chickens are tough. 
Take care to cook very slowly ; rapid boil- 
ing toughens them. When tender add a 
small onion or two, some parsley and 
pepper. Cover again, bring to a boil, and 
stir in a cupful of milk, to which are added 
two beaten eggs and two tablespoonfuls of 
flour. Boil up, and add a large spoonful of 
butter. Place the chicken in a deep dish, 
pour the gravy over it, and serve. In all 
cases where beaten ^^'g is added to a hot 
liquid, it is best first to drop a little into 
the egg, beating while doing so, to heat it 
gradually, and prevent it curdling, as it will 
if thrown suddenly into hot liquor. 

Broiled Chicken. — Be sure that your 
chicken is young. If in doubt as to this, it 
is best to make it tender by steaming. Place 
sticks across a dripping pan full of boiling 
water, lay the chicken upon these, cover 
with a tin pan, set in the oven, and let it 
steam for half an hour. (The chicken should 
first be split down the back and wiped per- 
fectly dry). Then transfer to a buttered 
gridiron, inside downward, cover, and broil 
till brown and tender, turning several times. 
Put into a hot dish, butter well, and serve 
smoking hot. 

Broiled Chicken on Toast. — Broil in the 
usual way, and when the fowl is thoroughly 
done take it up in a square pan, butter it 
well, season with pepper and salt, and set 
it in the oven for a few minutes. Then put 
slices of moistened buttered toast on a plat- 
ter ; lay the chicken upon it ; add to the 
pan gravy part of a cupful of cream or milk 
thickened with a little flour ; pour over the 
chicken, and serve. 

Stewed Duck. — Prepare the fowls by 
cutting them up, in the same way as chicken 
for fricassee. Lay some very thin slices of 
salt pork upon the bottom of a stew-pan, 



i6 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



and place the pieces of duck upon the pork. 
Stew slowly for an hour, closely covered. 
Then season with salt and pepper, and add 
half a teaspoonful of powdered sage, or 
minced green sage, and one chopped onion. 
Stew another half hour, or until the duck is 
tender. Stir a large tablespoonful of brown 
flour in a little water and add it to the stew. 
Let it boil up, and serve all together in one 
dish, accompanied by green peas. 

Chicken Croquettes. — Take the cold 
chicken, chop very fine, use about one- 
third as much cracker crumbs (not too fine) 
as you have meat. Season with salt and 
pepper ; add one ^^g beaten, and cold gravy ; 
make into rolls or round cakes, dip into 
batter, fry in very hot drippings, one-half 
butter and one-half lard. 

Chicken Hash. — Remove the meat from 
the bones of cold stewed chicken, cut into 
small pieces, putting these in the gravy. 
Set on the fire with milk enough to cover ; 
add butter, pepper, and salt ; thicken with 
flour. When done, serve on hot buttered 
toast. 

Chicken 5tew. — Cook the fowl in the 
same manner as for fricassee. When the 
meat is tender remove it from the water and 
serve with a sauce prepared with the liquid 
in which the meat was boiled. To one pint 
of liquid allow the following ingredients : 
One tablespoonful butter, two of flour, and 
one of parsley , if desired ; one-half teaspoon- 
ful of salt and one-quarter of pepper. 

Chicken Pie. — Boil chicken until tender 
(one year old is best) , peel half dozen pota- 
toes while it is stewing. To make the crust, 
take one quart of flour, one tablespoonful of 
baking powder, a little salt, half a teacupful 
of lard, and sufficient water to make a stifi" 
dough ; roll half the dough to the thickness 
of one-half an inch ; cut in strips and line 
the dish . Put in half the chicken and half 
the potatoes ; season with butter, pepper, 
and salt ; dredge well with flour and put in 
some of the crust cut in small pieces. The 
other half of the chicken and potatoes put 
in with butter, salt, and pepper, and dredge 
with flour as before ; roll out the rest of the 
dough for upper crust. Before putting on 
the cover fill the dish nearly full of boiling 



water, put in the oven immediately, and 
bake one hour. 

Smothered Chicken. — Singe a young 
chicken and split it down the back ; take 
out the intestines ; wipe it with a damp 
towel ; lay the chicken with inside down- 
ward in the baking pan , breaking the breast- 
bone to make it lie flat ; spread the breast 
with a quarter pound of butter, dredge with 
pepper, put a teaspoonful of salt and half 
cup of water in baking pan. Place in a hot 
oven, let it bake half hour, basting every 
ten minutes. Now remove the lid, turn the 
chicken, baste it well on inside, cover and 
bake another half hour ; when done, place 
on a hot dish, put the pan in which the 
chicken was cooked on the fire to brown, add 
one tablespoontul of flour ; stir until smooth 
and brown, add half cup of milk. Stir 
constantly until it boils ; if not properly 
seasoned add salt and pepper and serve. 

Chicken Salad. — Mince the white meat 
of a cold boiled or roasted chicken, remov- 
ing all fat, gristle, or skin. Cut celery into 
bits half an inch long, making three-fourths 
the bulk of the chicken. Mix and set 
aside, while preparing the dressing. For 
this rub to a fine powder the yolks of two 
hard-boiled eggs, add a teaspoonful each of 
salt and pepper, and two of white sugar, 
and then three teaspoonfuls salad oil, a few 
drops at a time, grinding hard while doing 
so. Add a teaspoonful of made mustard, 
and let stand while you whip an egg to a 
froth. Beat this into the dressing, add a 
half cup of vinegar, beating it in gradually. 
Sprinkle a little salt over the meat, toss it 
lightly with a fork ; pour on the dressing, 
and mix till thoroughly combined. Place 
in salad bowl, and garnish with ^%% rings 
and bleached celery tops. Turkey may be 
used instead of chicken. Many prefer it. 

Roast Game. — To roast a partridge, 
grouse, or any other gallinaceous bird, is 
one of the simplest processes of cooking, 
yet one in which the game is often spoiled 
by being cooked too fast, the surface be- 
coming scorched before the flesh is fairly 
warmed through. By this means the flavor 
is lost, the juices dissipated, and the natu- 
ral tenderness of the meat destroyed. 



32 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



I? 



The birds should be kept at such a dis- 
tance from the fire that the flesh may be 
fully heated before the surface becomes 
browned. Then move slowly nearer the 
fire, so that the heat may fully penetrate the 
flesh. The birds should be basted occa- 
sionally with their own drippings, or with 
melted butter slightly seasoned. Catch the 
drippings on pieces of thin, crisp toast laid in 
the pan, one small slice for each bird. When 
nearly cooked , dredge the birds lightly with 
flour and cracker or bread crumbs. This 
unites with the juices and makes a beautiful 
brown crust. 

The process should, if the fire be brisk, 
occupy about twenty minutes for a par- 
tridge, thirty for a grouse, fifteen for a 
snipe, plover, or woodcock. Serve each 
bird on a slice of toast, in covered hot 
dishes. This is the simplest way of cook- 
ing every variety of game birds. 

Broiled Game. — Partridges, split in the 
back, and broiled over a bright fire, with a 
dressing of salt, oepper and butter, make 
an excellent dish. Care must be taken not 
to cook them too fast, or the same difiiculty 
above mentioned, of browning the outside 
before the flesh is warmed through, will 
result. The fire should not be too hot, nor 
the gridiron rest too near it. In all cases 
game should be served on hot dishes. 

Rail and Reed Birds. — Rail, when 
roasted on the spit, enveloped in greased 
paper, are very good. They should never 
be stufied. Fifteen minutes will cook them 
if the fire be brisk. Reed birds are best 
when roasted au naturel on the spit before 
a brisk fire. They cook better enveloped 
in greased paper, there being less waste of 
the fat. They are good, also, when stuffed 
with bread crumbs, butter, and a little of 
herbs ; and also when nicely broiled. Some 
prefer them this way to all others. 

Fried Rabbit. — Freeze or soak in salt 
water over night ; cut off all the fat. Boil 
tender, changing the water once or twice. 
Dip in a batter and fry in hot butter and 
lard mixed. 

Stewed Rabbit. — Dress and freeze or 
lay in salt water over night, boil until ten- 
der, season with butter, and make dump- 
25 R 33 



lings, same as biscuit dough ; roll, cut in 
pieces and drop them in; thicken gravy with 
a little flour and milk. 

Rabbit Smotliered in Onions. — Parboil 
the rabbit, salt, pepper, and roll in flour. 
Put in pot alternately a layer of rabbit and 
a layer of onions. Let simmer slowly until 
done. 

Quail on Toast. — Pick dry, draw and 
split down the back ; wash and soak in salt 
water a few minutes, drain and dry with a 
cloth. Broil and baste often with butter; 
set in the oven with bits of butter on each 
piece and brown nicely. (They may be 
fried as chicken if desired.) Have ready as 
many slices of buttered toast as there are 
birds and serve with breast upward on each 
slice. 

Roast Pigeon. — When clean and ready 
for roasting, fill with dressing made same 
as for turkey or chicken. They must be 
well basted with melted butter, and roast 
from three-quarters to one hour. 

Game Pie. — When several kinds of 
small game are brought in, the best way to 
utilize them is to stew each kind tender, 
add them together with enough butter t-o 
make the gravy rich , and make the pie by lin- 
ing a baking-pan with a rich crust the same 
as for chicken pie ; put in the game, sea- 
soned with salt and pepper, a little of the 
dough for dumplings, and the gravy after it 
has been thickened ; add top crust, pinch 
the edges together like pie ; bake half an 
hour in a hot oven. 

Meats. 

What we call flesh is chiefly composed 
of muscle, with a certain proportion of fat 
and a considerable quantity of water. A 
piece of fresh beef, thoroughly dried, will 
lose three-fourths of its weight. Starch 
and sugar, which compose nearly fifty per 
cent, of wheat bread, are absent from meat. 
For this reason a due admixture of animal 
and vegetable food seems best adapted for 
the nutrition of the human body. 

Wild animals have usually very little 
fat. Domestic animals, fed for the market, 
have often a large proportion of it. The 
flesh of heavy sheep may be three-fourths 



i8 



TH^ MODEL cook BOOtC 



fat. Such fattening as this is unprofitable 
to the consumer, causing much waste. 
Good meat may be told from its firmness 
and elasticity to the touch, from its marbled 
appearance, its color, between pale pink and 
deep purple, its lack of unpleasant odor, 
and its slight shrinkage in cooking. 

The following directions for the choice 
of meat will be of service to the young 
housekeeper : 

To Choose Beef. — In ox-beef the grains 
should be loose, the flesh red, and the fat of 
a fine cream-color. Cow-beef has a closer 
grain, a whiter fat, and meat not quite so 
red. Poor beef is indicated by a hard, 
skinny fat, a dark- red lean. In old animals 
a line of horny texture runs through the 
meat of the ribs. When pressed by the 
finger the meat should rise up quickly, if it 
does so slowly, age is indicated. 

Mutton. — The meat of sheep should 
have a firm, close grain and dark -red color, 
the fat being white and firm. If too young, 
the flesh is tender when pinched ; if too old, 
it wrinkles and remains so. 

Lamb. — ^This meat will not keep long 
after it is killed. If fresh the large vein in 
the fore-quarter should be bluish in color ; 
if stale this becomes green. The flesh 
should be light-colored, and juicy, the fat 
white and rich. 

Veal. — Good veal is white, smooth and 
juicy ; the fat white and firm. The flesh of 
a bull-calf is firmer and darker than that of 
a cow-calf. If stale, the color changes 
quickly, the flesh feels moist and clammy, 
the joints flabbj'', and there is a faint musty 
odor. 

Pork. — Here we should have a thin, 
smooth rind, cold to the touch, the fat must 
be very firm and the lean white. The rind 
of young pork should yield easily to the 
finger. The flesh should be smooth and 
dry; if clammy, it is tainted. "Measly 
pork" is very unwholesome, and may be 
told by the fat being full of enlarged glands, 
or kernels. 

Bacon. — This should have a thin rind, 
and firm and reddish fat ; the flesh a tender, 
clear red, with no yellowish mixture, and 
clinging closely to the bone. 



34 



Ham. — To judge this, put a knife undei 
the bone and up to the knuckle. If part- 
icles of meat adhere to the knife or the odor 
is unpleasant, the ham is not good. 

Poultry. — In selecting poultry choose 
those that are full-grown, but not old. 
When young and fresh-killed, the eyes are 
full and bright, the joints neither stifi" nor 
flabby ; the skin is thin and tender, so that it 
may be easily torn with a pin ; the breast- 
bone is pliable, yielding easily to pressure. 
Fowls, if young, have a hard, close vent, 
and the legs and comb are smooth. Old 
turkeys have rough and reddish legs ; young 
ones smooth and black. If fresh killed the 
eyes are full and clear and the feet moist. 
A goose, if young, has but few hairs, a yel- 
low bill, and is limber- footed. Ducks, 
when fat, are hard and thick on the belly ; 
if young and good, they are limber- footed. 

Eggs. — Put your tongue to the larger 
end ; if it feel warm, the &^^ is fresh. Or 
put the ^%^ into a pan of cold water ; if per- 
fectly fresh, it will sink immediately, and so 
in proportion to its freshness ; a rotten ^%% 
will float on the top of the water. 

Of ordinary meats mutton is at once the 
most nutritious and the easiest of digestion. 
Beef is usually considered more strengthen- 
ing, but demands more vigorous digestive 
powers. Veal and lamb, though tender, 
are less digestible than the flesh of mature 
animals, this being especially the case with 
veal. Of all meats, however, pork stands 
first in the rank of the indigestible. 

When meat comes from the market it 
should be wiped at once with a fresh, damp 
cloth, covered, and put in a cool place. 
Never wash fresh meat, as cold water draws 
out the juice. Remove from mutton all the 
pink skin attached to the meat ; if left it 
will give it an unpleasant taste when cooked. 
The organs of animals, as the heart and 
kidneys, should be washed thoroughly; 
salted meats need washing to remove the salt. 

Modes of Cooking Meats. 

Meat may be boiled, roasted, stewed, 
fried, or prepared in other ways. Tender 
cuts should be cooked in their own juices 
to preserve the flavor. The meat should at 



TME MobEL COOK Book 



19 



first be subjected to a higb temperature to 
harden the albumen on the outside and thus 
prevent the escape of the internal juices. 
Then the temperature should be lowered 
to 180 degrees. 

Roasting. — In roasting the object is to 
retain all the juice in the meat. The heat 
should be sharp at first, for the reason above 
stated, and then reduced so that the al- 
bumen in the interior may be gradually 
coagulated without shriveling and harden- 
ing the fibre. The flesh of young animals 
is better adapted for roasting than boiling, 
as it contains more of those principles sol- 
uble in water and which may be boiled 
away. Whenever it is desired to retain and 
increase the flavor, roasting is the better 
method. This applies to pork, venison, 
and game, and to poultry unless it be lean 
and old. 

Boiling. — Meat properly boiled retains 
more of its nutritious properties and is more 
easily digested than if cooked in any other 
w^y. It loses less in weight than by either 
roasting or baking. The degree of extrac- 
tion of juices depends on the degree of heat 
and the way it is applied. If broth is de- 
sired the meat should be soaked in cold 
water, and the heat applied gradually and 
kept below the boiling point. To obtain 
stock for soup, it must come to a boil and 
this be kept up for some time. But if boiled 
meat is the object, the joint should be 
plunged at once in boiling water, so as to 
coagulate the outer albumen, and the boil- 
ing kept up for five or six minutes. Then 
the temperature should be brought down 
to 160° F., and the process continued till 
the interior is fully cooked. 

Baking. — In baking the temperature is 
more equally maintained, and there is less 
loss of the sapid contents of the meat than 
in roasting. The joint is richer in flavor 
and its juices more fully retained. But it is 
less suitable for delicate stomachs. Great 
care must be taken that the fat does not 
come into contact with the hot iron of the 
stove, as, if burnt, it gives unpleasant and 
noxious qualities. 

Stewing. — ^This method is intermediate 
between boiling and roasting, and is much 



35 



the best method of rendering the meat 
tender, juicy, and sapid. Meat that would 
otherwise be quite indigestible may be thus 
utilized. It also admits of combining a 
number of articles, both animal and vege- 
table, and is often the best way to employ 
canned meats. Hashing is the same pro- 
cess applied to meat which has been pre- 
viously cooked. It often fails for this rea- 
son, the meat being made tough and leath- 
ery. Very little water is needed for stew- 
ing, often the juices proving sufiicient, if 
care be taken to prevent burning. 

Broiling. — Broiling has much the same 
effect as roasting. The purpose is to keep 
the juice in the meat, which is held over a 
clear fire for a few seconds, until the albumen 
on one side hardens. As soon as the juice 
begins to rise the meat is turned and the 
albumen on the other side hardened. Con- 
tinue to turn the meat frequently until it is 
cooked. Frying, a very common method, 
produces indigestible meat, the fat, upon 
which the gastric juices do not act, being 
thoroughly absorbed, and seriously inter- 
fering with digestion. 

Beef. 

Roast Beef. — The sirloin and rib pieces 
of the beef are the best for roasting — the 
latter for small families. Have the butcher 
remove the bone and skewer the meat into a 
round shape. It is better, in oven roasting, 
to dash a small cup of boiling water over the 
meat when first put in. This acts to check 
the escape of the juices until the meat is 
warmed through. If very fat on top, cover 
with a paste of flour and water till nearly 
done. Baste frequently, with water at first, 
then with the drippings. A quarter of an 
hour to the pound will cook it rare ; if it is 
to be well done, cook longer. Remove, when 
done, to a heated dish, and make gravy 
from the drippings, or serve the liquor 
which runs from the meat when cut. Serve 
with mustard, or vinegar and scraped horse- 
radish . 

Yorkshire Pudding. — This is an ex- 
cellent addition to a roast of beef. To make 
it, take one pint of milk, four eggs — white 
and yolks beaten separately — one teaspoon- 
ful of salt, and two teaspoonfuls of baking 
powder sifted through two cups of flour. 



20 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



These should be mixed very smooth, and 
made about the cunsistency of cream. On 
taking the roast from the oven, set it where 
it will keep hot. In the meantime have 
the pudding prepared. Take two common 
biscuit tins and dip into them some of the 
drippings from the dripping-pan ; pour half 
of the pudding into each, set them into the 
hot oven, and keep them there until the 
dinner is dished up. Take the puddings 
out at the last moment and send to the table 
hot. This is much better than the old way 
of baking the pudding under the meat. 

Broiled Beefsteak. — Place the steak in 
a wire broiler ; hold it over the fire, near 
the coals ; count ten slowly, then turn it ; 
continue to count ten and turn till the meat 
is done. From five to seven minutes will 
cook a steak an inch thick ; eight to ten 
minutes if an inch and a half. Season with 
salt on both sides, but do not put butter on 
the steak. Serve at once on a hot platter. 

Pan=BroiIed Steak or Chops. — Buy 

tender meat. Trim off all the fat possible. 
Heat a frying-pan very hot, so that it hisses 
if a little water is dropped in. L,ay in the 
meat, count ten, and turn ; count and turn 
again, and so on until the meat is cooked. 
A steak or chops one inch thick will require 
from five to seven minutes. Season and 
serve in the same manner as broiled meats. 

Beefsteak Smothered in Onions. — 

Season the steak with salt and pepper, 
dredge with flour, and brown in hot fat. 
When done on one side, turn and put in the 
sliced onions, cover, and when the onions 
are done cover with water. Cook slowly 
four or five minutes. Or fry the onions 
separately, and, when done, dish the steak 
and lay them thickly over the top. 

Rolled Steak. — Take a round steak, 
pound, pepper and salt. Take bread 
crumbs and make a dressing of them and 
spread over the top of the steak. Roll and 
tie it with a string. Put in pan and roast 
forty minutes. 

Beef Stew. — Put on to boil in three 
quarts of water three pounds of beef with- 
out bone. Let boil until tender, and add 
potatoes ; season with salt and pepper 



36 



When well done, make a gravy of flour and 

water, and serve hot. 

English Stew. — Cut meat in slices, 
sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour. L,ay 
in a dish, and put a few pickles or a small 
quantity of pickled cabbage over the meac. 
Take half a teacup of water, add a little 
vinegar, pour over the meat, bake half an 
hour. Serve immediately. 

Pot Roast. — For this purpose take a 
tough piece of meat. Cut off some of the 
fat and melt it in a deep frying-pan or iron 
kettle. When the fat is hot, put in the 
meat and brown it on both sides to harden 
the albumen and keep in the juice. Add 
one pint boiling water, cover, and simmer 
slowly until tender ; then add one teaspoon- 
ful salt. If the water evaporates, do not 
add any more, as the fat will finish cooking 
the meat. 

Boiled Beef to Serve Cold. — Take a 
boiling piece of beef, roll and tie, put in 
kettle with boiling water, salt and pepper. 
Chop fine one small onion, break in pieces 
two bay leaves, boil all together ; add boil- 
ing water as needed. Boil down very low. 
Let cool in the liquor. Slice cold. 

Hamburg Steak. — Chop finely one 
pound of lean, raw beef, season with salt 
and pepper, add a few drops of onion juice, 
one &^%, mix all together and make into 
small balls or cakes. Broil over hot coals, 
or cook in a small quantity of smoking hot 
fat. The steaks are much better if allowed 
to stand several hours before cooking, so 
that the flavors may blend before the cakes 
are made up. They may be served with 
tomato sauce. 

Meat Croquettes. — One cup of cold 
chopped beef, one cup bread crumbs, one 
^%%. Pour over this enough of the hot 
liquor to make quite soft. Add salt and 
pepper, make in small rolls, dip in beaten 
^gg' then in cracker crumbs. Fry in hot lard. 

Spiced Beef. — Four pounds of round 
beef chopped fine, trim off the fat, add three 
dozen crackers, rolled fine, four eggs, one 
cup milk, one tablespoonful ground mace, 
two tablespoonfuls pepper, one tablespoon- 
ful butter ; mix and put in pan, and baste 



Blackberry Shortcake 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 
Sift together three cups of pastry flour, one teaspoonful of salt, and six level teaspoon- 
fuls of baking-powder ; with the tips of the fingers, well floured, work in one-third a cup 
ef butter and mix with about one cup and-a-half of milk and water to a soft dough ; spread 
in two buttered pans, smoothing the dough with a knife or spoon. When baked, butter 
the under crust, and put together with two baskets of blackberries that have been standing 
mixed with granulated sugar for some time. Sprinkle the berries on top of the cake with 
powdered sugar. The berries between the cakes and a part of those on top may be niashed 
if desired. 






'*^^?s 




PREPARING DAINTY DISHES. 

// is woman's prtde to skilfully and intelligently prepare healthful 
food, and such as is adapted to the needs of her family. She should be 
]amiliar with the principles of cooking as given by an authority. . 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



21 



with water and butter ; bake two hours in a 
slow oven. 

Curing Fresh Beef. — To each one hun- 
dred pounds of beef take four gallons of 
water, put in kettle, also six pounds com- 
mon salt, two ounces saltpetre ; simmer over 
slow fire, and skim. When cold pour over 
beef, which should be loosely packed . Hang 
in about three weeks, or put in new brine, 
or boil and skim the old. 

Beef Tongue. — Wash the tongue and 
soak over night in cold water. Put it into 
a pot of cold water, and boil slowly until it 
is tender to the centre. When cold, take 
it from water, pare off the skin , cut in round 
slices, and garnish with parsley. Tongue 
is considered better than ham for sand- 
wiches. 

Pickled Beef Tongue. — Wash tongue 
thoroughly, soak over night in salt water ; 
put in cold water and cook until tender, 
remove the skin while warm ; put in stone 
jar, cover with hot vinegar to which is added 
one teaspoonful of mixed spices • This will 
keep for some time. 

Dried Beef. — This is commonly served 
raw, shaved into thin slices ; but is more 
savory if cooked. Put the slices into a fry- 
ing-pan, cover with boiling water; cook for 
ten minutes, then drain and cut into small 
bits. Return to pan with a little butter, and 
stir into the pan four well-beaten eggs for a 
half pound meat ; stir and toss the mixture 
for about two minutes. Serve in a covered 
dish. 

Boiled Corned Beef. — Skewer your piece 
into shape, wash it in three or four waters, 
and tie it up with stout twine. Cover it in 
a pot with cold water. In boiling, give 
about twenty minutes to a pound, turning it 
three times while cooking. When done, 
drain dry and serve with drawn butter in a 
sauce boat. Boiled turnips are eaten with 
the meat. 

Roast Veal. — Cook veal longer than 
lamb or mutton, allowing at least a quarter 
hour to each pound. Heat gradually and 
baste frequently. When nearly done, dredge 
lightly with flour and baste once with melted 
butter. If browning too fast, cover with 



white paper. Breast and fillet of veal need 
to be filled with a dressing made of bread 
crumbs, chopped thyme or parsley, season- 
ing, and a beaten ^%z- 

Veal Cutlets. — Sprinkle the cutlets with 
salt and pepper, dip in beaten ^%^, roll in 
cracker crumbs, and fry in hot lard or drip- 
ping. A little boiling water may be added 
to the gravy when the meat is dished, and 
a thickening of brown flour. 

Veal Stevs^. — Two pounds of veal, one 
tablespoonful of lard, one tablespoonful of 
butter ; slice one medium sized onion over 
the meat, add one- half teacup of vinegar, as 
the meat stews add a little water. Cook 
two hours. 

Veal Fricassee. — Take two lbs. of shank 
or neck of veal, remove bones, place them 
in a saucepan, season, add two cups cold 
water, and cook slowly. While cooking 
slice two onions, cut the meat into inch 
cubes, remove the fat, and dredge the meat 
with flour. Fry the onions brown and add 
to the water. Brown the meat slightly and 
add. Let simmer half an hour. Cook to- 
gether one tablespoonful each of flour and 
butter, add gradually half cup of milk, and 
stir it into the fricassee. Boil five minutes 
and serve. 

Calf's Head. — After washing, take out 
the brains and put in a cool place. Tie the 
head in a floured cloth and boil for two 
hours, adding some salt to the water. Wash 
and carefully pick the brains, cleansing 
them till quite white ; cover with water and 
stew; mash smooth, and add gradually a cup- 
ful of the water in which the meat is boiled. 
Season with butter, parsley, sage, pepper 
and salt. Drain the head very dry, score 
the top and rub it over with melted butter ; 
dredge with flour and set in the oven to 
brown. When served, pour the gravy over 
it. Do not skin the head. Mock-turtle 
soup is made of calf's head, chopped fine, 
well seasoned and boiled, the brains being 
used with the yolks of eggs to make force- 
meat balls. 

Fried Sweetbreads. — To fry sweet- 
breads, wash carefully and rub dry, lard 
with narrow strips of fat pork, and lay in a 
hot frying-pan, well greased, and cook to ? 



23 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



fine brown. Turn frequently, till the pork 
is crisp. 

Broiled Sweetbreads.— Rub well with 
butter, and cook on a clean gridiron. Turn 
frequently, occasionally rolling on a plate 
with some hot melted butter. This keeps 
them from getting dry and hard. 

• Stewed Sweetbreads. — Remove a'l skin 
and fat, cover with cold water, and bring to 
a boil. Pour off the hot water, and cover 
with cold until they are firm. Stew a sec- 
ond time in very little water. When tender, 
add a teaspoonful of butter for each sweet- 
bread, with pepper, salt, chopped parsley 
and a little cream. Simmer for five min- 
utes, and serve in covered dish, with the 
gravy poured in. 

Sweetbreads with Tomatoes. — Soak in 
salt water for one hour ; take out, pepper 
and dip in breadcrumbs and fry in hot fat, 
when done put in a dish md pour tomatoes 
over sweetbreads. Prepare tomatoes by 
straining through a sieve and season with 
salt, pepper and butter, thicken with flour, 
cook until thick. 

Mutton. 

Roast Leg of Mutton. — Remove the 
bone from a leg of muUon and mix a filling 
as follows : one cup rolled cracker or bread 
crumbs, and one teaspoonful each of salt 
and sage, with sprinkle of pepper. Mix 
these, scald a little dropped onion— if liked 
— and add ; moisten with milk or water. 
Sprinkle the cavity with salt, fill it and seW. 
Dredge with salt, pepper and flour. Place 
the meat on a rack in a roasting-pan, and 
bake in a hot oven, allowing twenty min- 
utes to a pound. Baste once in fifteen min- 
utes. When done, remove the strings and 
put the meat on a hot platter. Pour off the 
fat from the pan, stir half tablespoonful 
flour into the browned sediment, add one 
cup boiling water and boil five minutes. 
Strain and serve as a gravy. 

Chickens and other poultry may be 
filled and roasted as directed. Beef is usu- 
ally roasted without filling, and mutton fre- 
quently. 

Le§ of Mutton a la Venison. — After 
removing the rough fat from the mutton, lay 



it in a deep earthen dish, and rub on 
thoroughly the following compound : On.i 
tablespoonful of salt, one each of celery- 
salt, brown sugar, black pepper, Englis^ 
mustard, allspice, and some sweet herbs, al 
powdered and mixed. Then pour over the 
meat a teacupful of good vinegar, covei 
tightly, and set in a cool place four or five 
days, turning it and basting often with the 
liquid each day. To cook, put in a kettle 
a quart of boiling water, place over it an in- 
verted shallow pan, and on this lay the 
meat just as removed from the pickle ; 
cover the kettle tightly and stew four hours. 
Do not let the water touch the meat. Add 
a cup of hot water to the pickle remaining 
and use it to baste with. Make a gravy by 
thickening the liquid with flour and strain' 
ing through a fine sieve. Serve with cur- 
rant jelly, as for venison. 

Stuffed Shoulder of Mutton. — Have 
the butcher remove the blade from a shoul- 
der of mutton. Fill the cavity thus formed 
with a stuffing of well -seasoned bread 
crumbs and a half pint of oysters. Sew up 
and press into shape. Baste frequently while 
roasting. When done remove all fat from 
the drippings in the pan and thicken 
slightly. Parboil another half pint of oys- 
ters and add to the gravy. 

Mutton Chops. — Trim off the superflu- 
ous fat and skin from your chops, if not 
done by the butcher ; dip each chop in 
beaten ^%z^ ^^^^ i^ cracker dust, and fry in 
hot lard or dripping. Omit the ^%% if de- 
sired. Sprinkle the chops with salt before 
rolling in the ^%%., or salt the fat. Serve 
dry and hot. 

Broiled Mutton Chops. — Mutton chops 
should be cut one inch thick. Trim off the 
skin and the greater part of the fat. I,ay 
the meat in a wire broiler and proceed as in 
broiling steak. It requires from four to six 
minutes to cook a chop one inch thick. Sea- 
son chops with salt and pepper, but no but- 
ter, and serve immediately on a hot platter 

Lamb Chops are very delicate and ten- 
der. Prepare and broil them in the same way 
that mutton chops are broiled. They require 
longer cooking than mutton chops and 
should never be served rare. A lamb chop 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



23 



one inch thick should be cooked from seven 
to ten minutes. 

Lamb 5tew. — Cut the lamb into small 
squares, first removing the fat. Then put 
on in stew-pan, covering with water, and let 
heat slowly. When partly done add a little 
sliced salt pork, one or two sliced onions, 
pepper and salt, and two or three cut-up 
potatoes. Cover, and continue to stew till 
the meat is tender. Then drop in a few 
small dumplings, stew fifteen minutes more, 
and serve. The gravy should be thickened 
with a little flour moistened with milk. 

Spring Lamb. — Bake six pounds of 
meat one Lour and a half in a moderate 
oven. Season when put to roast. Baste 
often. Serve with mint sauce. 

Mint sauce : Take a handful of fresh mint, 
wash and dry. Take leaves and chop fine, 
add a tablespoonful of sugar, one of water 
and cover tightly for one hour and a half. 
An hour before serving add three-fourths 
cup of vinegar and serve with lamb ; add 
essence of mint if desired. 

Pork. 



Roast Pork. — Prepare pork by wash- 
ing. Score the skin in lines, forming little 
squares. Have a moderately hot oven ; 
baste with its own drippings ; season with 
salt and pepper. The time required de- 
pends on size of roast. 

Roast Spare Rib.— Cover the meat 
with a greased paper until half roasted ; 
then remove the paper and dredge with 
flour. In a few minutes baste with its own 
gravy. Before taking up strew the surface 
with bread crumbs seasoned with powdered 
sage, fine chopped onion, pepper and salt. 
Cook five minutes and baste again with but-' 
ter. Skim the gravy, pour in half a cup of 
boiling water, thicken with flour, season, 
and pour over the meat. 

Spare Rib with Oysters. — Wash ribs, 
wipe dry, salt and pepper. Take one quart of 
oysters, one dozen crackers, mash fine, salt 
and pepper and roll up in spare ribs and pin 
with wooden tooth pick. 

Roast Pig. — Take a pig about six weeks vv«,o^ ^^.^ ^^^ 
old, wash it thoroughlyj and rinse out the ' or coarse cloth 

39 



inside again with water containing a little 
baking soda. Wipe with a fresh towel, 
salt the inside, and stuff with the prepared 
dressing ; making the pig plump, so as to 
give it its original size and shape. Sew it 
up, place it in a kneeling posture in the 
dripping-pan, and tie the legs in proper 
position. Pour into the pan a little hot 
salted water, and baste with butter and 
water a few times as the pig warms ; after- 
wards baste with gravy from the pan. 
When the meat begins to smoke rub it often 
with a rag dipped in melted butter. This 
will keep the skin from cracking while still 
keeping it crisp. Roast for two or three 
hours. To make the gravy, skim off most 
of the grease, stir into that remaining in the 
pan a good tablespoonful of flour, with 
water enough to make it the right consist- 
ency, season with pepper and let it boil up 
once. Strain, and add half a glass of wine, 
if preferred. Turn into a gravy boat. 
Place the pig upon a large, hot platter, sur- 
rounded with parsley or celery tops ; place 
a green wreath around the neck, and a sprig 
of celery in its mouth. In carving, cut off 
the head first, then split down the back, 
take off the hams and shoulders, and separ- 
ate the ribs. 

Pork Steaks. — Remove the skin and 
trim neatly. Broil over a brisk fire. Sea- 
son after taking up with pepper, salt, a little 
sage and minced onion. Cover and set in 
the oven for five minutes. Spare ribs can 
be cooked in the same manner. 



Salt Pork Fried in Batter, — Prepare as 
for plain fried pork, fry without putting in 
flour. When ready to remove from drip- 
ping pan dip in a batter made as fol- 
lows : One egg, two tablespoonfuls milk, 
two of flour, add a little salt, and dip the 
fried pork into the batter. Put quickly 
back into the hot drippings, fry a light 
brown, and serve as- soon as possible. 

Pork Chops. — Season pork with salt and 
pepper, beat up an egg, dip the pork in the 
egg, then in cracker crumbs or corn meal, 
fry in plenty of lard, boiling hot. 

Boiled Ham. — Soak over night, and 

wash hard next morning with a stiff brush 

Put on to boil with plenty 



24 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



of water. Do not boil too fast, and allow 
fifteen minutes to each pound. Do not re- 
move skin until cold. Prepare for table by 
garnishing with dots of pepper or dry mus- 
tard, and with parsley around the sides. 

Broiled Ham. — Cut in slices, soak well 
in scalding water, wipe dry, and lay in cold 
water for five minutes. Wipe again, and 
broil over a clear fire. Pepper before serv- 
ing. To fry ham, prepare as for broiling, 
and cook in a hot frying-pan, turning often. 
Serve with or without the gravy. 

Baked Ham, — Boil a ten pound ham in 
water enough to cover, to this add two 
pounds of brown sugar. Boil three hours, 
then skim. Mix a tablespoonful of dry mus- 
tard and one of sugar, sprinkle over the fat 
side , and bake from three quarters to one hour. 

Devilled Ham. — Take cold roast ham 5 
chop fine ; make a dressing of pepper, mus- 
tard, and vinegar ; mix thoroughly with the 
ham. This is very suitable for sandwiches. 

Broiled Ham and Bacon. — Cut ham into 
halt-inch slices, or thinner. Trim off the 
outside skin. Broil in a hot dry par, or over 
the coals, until it is a delicate brown in 
color, turning it frequently. When done 
serve on a hot platter. 

To cook bacon, cut it into very thin 
slices and broil it a few minutes in a hot pan 
or over a clear fire, turning it very often. 
It should be of a delicate golden-brown 
color when done. Serve on a hot platter. 

Pork Pie. — One pound of pork chopped 
in small pieces, four good sized potatoes 
chopped in squares, cover over with water 
and cook until tender. Cook meat awhile 
before putting potatoes in. Make a gravy 
and pour over ; save out some of the gravy 
to pour over when baked. Make a short 
dough same as for pies, with a little baking 
powder in it. Line a small bread pan with 
crust, put in meat and gravy, cover with 
upper crust and bake until brown. 

Ham Pie. — Make a crust, the same as 
for biscuit, line pan with dough ; then put in 
a layer of potatoes sliced thin, pepper and 
salt, and a little butter, then a layer of lean 
ham, add water and cook slowly. 

Pigfoot Sauce. — Cutoff the toes, scrape 
clean and wash thoroughly, and singe. 



40 



Put in water, boil and skim. -Pour off the 
water and add fresh, then salt, and some 
lean pieces cut from the head, or other part 
of the hog. Boil until ready to fall to pieces ; 
dip out and pick all the bones out. Season 
with salt and pepper. Mix the lean meat 
with the fat, but do not chop. Press in a 
crock and set away to cool. Slice thin and 
pour vinegar over it a few minutes before 
serving. 

Head Cheese. — Boil the forehead, ears, 
and feet, and trimmings from the hams of a 
fresh pig. Continue until the meat is ready 
to drop from the bones. Then separate the 
meat from the bones, put it in a large chop- 
ping-bowl, and season with pepper, salt, 
sage, and summer savory. Chop it rather 
coarsely ; put it back in the boiling kettle, 
with enough of the liquor it was boiled in 
to prevent its burning, and warm it thor- 
oughly, mixing the ingredients well. Then 
pour into a strong muslin bag, press the bag 
between two fiat surfaces under a heavy 
weight. When cold and solid it can be cut 
and served in slices. 

Boston Pork and Beans. — Carefully pick 
a quart of small, white beans, and let them 
soak over night in cold water. In the morn- 
ing wash and drain in fresh water. Set on 
to boil in plenty of cold water, in which is a 
piece of soda the size of a bean. After they 
come to a boil drain again, cover again with 
water, and boil for fifteen minutes, or until 
the skin of the beans will crack when taken 
out and blown upon. Next drain the beans, 
put into an earthen pot, with a tablespoon- 
ful of salt, and cover with hot water. Place 
in the centre of the pot a pound of salt pork, 
first scalding it with hot water, and scoring 
the rind across the top a quarter of an inch 
apart. Place in the oven, and bake six 
hours or longer, keeping the oven at a mod- 
erate heat. Add hot water from the tea- 
kettle as needed, so as to keep the beans 
moist. When the meat becomes crisp and 
looks cooked remove it, as too long baking 
destroys the solidity of the pork. 

Venison. 

Venison Cutlets. — Trim your cutlets 
nicely, using the trimmings to make gravy, 
in the proportion of half a pound to a cup of 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



25 



water. Put in bones, fat, etc., and let stew 
in a saucepan while you prepare the cutlets. 
When the gravy has stewed an ht)ur, strain 
and let it cool. 

Lay the cutlets in a saucepan, with a 
little onion to each. Also a little minced 
thyme and parsley, pepper, and very little 
nutmeg. When all ready, pour in your 
warm gravy. Stew twenty minutes. Then 
lay the cutlets in a frying-pan, and fry 
quickly for five minutes, turning frequently. 
Lay in a chafing-dish, pour in the gravy, 
having added to it a little sauce, currant 
jelly, half a glass of wine, and flour thick- 
ening. Let all stand in hot place five min- 
utes before serving. 

Roast Venison. — Wash and dry v,'ith a 
cloth. Butter a sheet of white paper and 
put over the fat. Put in roasting pan with a 
little boiling water. Cover closely ; cook 
in a moderately hot oven for two or three 
hours. Baste occasionall3^ Twenty min- 
utes before it is done quicken the fire, remove 
lid and paper, dredge with flour, butter, salt 
and pepper. Return to oven and brown. 
Make a gravy from its own drippings, having 
first removed the fat. Have meat platter very 
hot for venison and serve with currant jelly. 

Hashes and Sandwiches. 

Potato and Meat Pie. — Chop cold meat 
fine, removing the bones, fat and gristle. 
Put the meat into a pudding-dish, measur- 
ing it to find the quantity. To each cup of 
meat pour one-third cup of gravy or stock, 
or one- quarter cup water. Taste the gravy, 
stir in one-quarter tablespoonful salt, a 
sprinkle of pepper, and a few drops of onion 
juice or a little chopped parsley. Boil and 
mash potatoes, and spread the mashed pota- 
toes as a crust over the meat and gravy. 
Smooth the crust, and bake the pie on the 
grate of the oven until golden-brown. It 
Kvill require from fifteen to thirty minutes. 

Hash. — Chop the meat as in the pre- 
ceding recipe. To each cup of meat add 
two cups mashed potatoes, one-half table- 
spoonful salt and a sprinkle of pepper. Mash 
together thoroughly. Put one-half table- 
spoonful drippings into a fry-pan . When the 
fat smokes scrape in the hash, and let it 
cook slowly until browned on the bottom 



41 



Fold over in the middle, and serve on a hot 
platter. Stewed tomatoes or onion juice or 
boiled onions chopped, if added to the hash, 
will improve it. 

Vegetable Hash. — To the ingredients ol 
the abo-^^e recipe add chopped beets, turnips, 
beans, or a little cabbage. One or all of 
these vegetables may be used. Moisten the 
mixture with milk, put it in a saucepan, 
and stir it twenty minutes over the fire, 
until the milk is absorbed and the hash is 
thoroughly cooked. The hash may be put 
in a covered kettle and set in a moderate 
oven for two or three hours. The long, 
slow cooking causes the flavors of the vege- 
tables to blend, and gives it a rich taste. 

Baked Hash. — Chop meat fine, put a 
layer of meat in the baking pan, then a layer 
of potatoes, mashed or cut in cubes, then a 
layer of bread crumbs. Season with butter, 
salt and pepper, enough water to moisten. 
Bake three-fourths of an hour. 

Ham Sandwiches. — Four pounds of ham 
chopped fine . Dressing : Yolks of four eggs . 
four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one small 
teaspoonful of mustard, one-half teaspoonful 
of black pepper, juice of one lemon, a little 
cayenne pepper if desired . Cook until thick ; 
mix with ham and spread between slices of 
buttered bread. 

Dried Beef Sandwiches. — Chop dried 
beef fine, removing all stringy pieces . Spread 
between thin slices of buttered bread . These 
are much easier to digest than ham sand- 
wiches. 

Tongue Sandwiches. — Wash the tongue 
and soak over night in salt water, put on in 
cold water, boil until tender, take out, re- 
move skin while warm, when cold chop 
fine. Make a dressing as follows : Yolks of 
four eggs, four tablespoonfuls vinegar, one 
small teaspoonful of mustard, one-half tea- 
spoonful pepper, juice of one lemon ; cook 
until thick and mix with chopped tongue, 
and spread between slices of buttered bread. 

Salmon Sandwiches. — One can of sal- 
mon chopped fine, one cup bread crumbs, 
one ^^Z-, one tablespoonful of melted butter ; 
season with salt and pepper ; mis. well, 
and put in two greased one-pound baking 



26 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



powder cans, with lids on ; boil one and a half 
hours, then take out of cans and brown in 
the oven. When cold, slice thin and place 
between slices of bread. 

Oyster Sandwiches. — Take a pint of 
raw oysters and chop them very fine. Add 
salt and pepper. Put them in the chafing 
dish with a teaspoonful of butter and three 
tablespoonfuls of dry biscuit crumbs ; after 
cooking for five minutes they are ready to 
make up into sandwiches. 

Cucumber Sandwiches. — Slice cucum- 
bers thin and place in salt water on ice until 
ready to use. Butter sparing!/ thin slices 
of wheat bread ; roil the cucumbers in 
Mayonnaise dressing and place between two 
slices of bread. 

Lettuce Sandwiches. — Slice thin nice 
homemade bread, at least one day old, spread 
thin with good butter ; cut in desired shape, 
dip lettuce leaf in Mayonnaise dressing and 
lay between. 

Eggs 

Eggs form a valuable food and should be 
used as a substitute for meats and in com- 
bination with starchy foods. Fresh eggs 
should always be used, if obtainable. 

If eggs are placed in boiling water and 
allowed to boil, the white becomes tough 
and indigestible and the yoke undercooked ; 
therefore they should be cooked at a tem- 
perature below boiling point. 

Boiled Eggs (A). — Have a saucepan of 
boiling water. Remove to the back of the 
stove where the water will not boil and add 
the eggs, being careful that there is sufficient 
water to cover them. L,et them stand from 
seven to ten minutes if required soft — forty 
to forty-five minutes if wanted hard. 

Boiled Eggs (B). — Cover the eggs with 
cold water and place over fire. When the 
water begins to boil they will be cooked 
properly for soft boiled eggs. If allowed to 
remain four or five minutes they will be 
hard boiled. 

riustard Eggs. — Remove shells from 
one dozen hard boiled eggs, cut in halves, 
take out yolks, add to them salt, ground 
mustard and pepper, mix all together, add 



vinegar to moisten ; then fill whites with 
the yellow mixture and serve. 

Poached Eggs. — Break eggs, one at a 
time, into a cup. Put a quart of boiling 
water and half teaspoonful salt into a sauce- 
pan. Let it boil, then move it back on the 
stove so that it will just cease to bubble. 
Place muffin rings in the pan. Drop the 
eggs into the rings one at a time, and cook 
until the white is firm. Serve them on toast, 
with a sprinkle of salt on each ^%%. 

Fried Eggs. — Break the shells and drop 
the eggs one by one in hot fat ; dip the fat over 
them until the white is set ; dust with pep- 
per and salt and serve hot ; cook from three 
to five minutes, according to taste. These 
are less digestible than poached eggs, the 
hot fat making the albumen leathery. 

Scrambled Eggs. — Beat six eggs very 
light ; add a little salt, eight tablespoonfuls 
of milk, and a small lump of butter. Put 
in a hot skillet and stir constantly until the 
eggs harden. 

Pickled Eggs. — One pint of strong 
vinegar, one half pint cold water, a tea- 
spoonful each of cinnamon, allspice and 
mace ; boil eggs till very hard, remove 
shell ; put on the spices tied in a white mus- 
lin bag in cold water, boil and, if water 
wastes away, add enough so as to have half 
a pint when done, add vinegar and pour 
over the eggs, put in as many eggs as the 
mixture will cover. 

Sauce for Eggs. — Boil six eggs hard 
and make a sauce of one lump of butter, one 
tablespoonful of flour and one pint of milk, 
mix the butter, milk and flour together and 
boil. Slice the eggs and pour the sauce 
over them. 

Plain Omelet. — Beat two eggs, add two 
tablespoonfuls milk or water, and one quarter 
teaspoonful salt. Heat the pan, put in one 
teaspoonful butter, and when it melts pour 
in the mixture. Cook the omelet slowly. 
As it hardens beneath, raise it with a broad 
knife and let the liquid portion run under ; 
do this at different sides of the pan. When 
dry, roll the omelet away from the handle 
of the pan. Serve on a hot platter. 

Foamy Omelet. — Separate the eggs. 
Beat tfap yolks and add salt and one table- 



42. 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



27 



pjjooiiful milk for each. yolk. Beat the whites 
until stiff and fold lightly into the liquid. 
Melt some butter in a frying-pan, when hot 
pour in the mixture and brown. Then 
place the omelet in the oven to dry the top. 
Fold and serve immediately. 

Foamy Omelet with Jelly. — Separate 
the eggs ; beat the yolks and add one table- 
spoonful milk for each &%%, a saltspoonful 
of salt, a dash of pepper and a teaspoonful 
of flour. Put a teaspoonful of butter in a 
skillet and when it begins to bubble turn in 
the omelet. Fry to a golden brown, remove 
carefully from the skillet, spread with an 
acid jelly, fold over, and place in lettuce 
leaves. Beat the whites of the eggs stiff, 
sweeten slightly and put a thick coating on 
top the omelet. 

Meat Omelet. — Mix two tablespoonfuls 
of chopped meat with the plain omelet and 
cook as directed. A little chopped parsley 
may be added. When the omelet is cook- 
ing, spread chopped meat over half the top 
and fold double. Oysters, whole or chopped, 
or stewed tomatoes, may replace the meat. 

Ham and Eggs. — Fry the eggs in lard, 
and, after draining off all grease, lay them 
on a hot dish, with neat slices of fried ham 
around the edges. Trim the eggs to smooth 
edges, and cut the ham evenly in oblong 
pieces. Garnish with parsley. 

Vegetables and Their 
Preparation. 

In the cooking of vegetables it should 
be borne in mind that all woody tissues, 
whether in the roots or stalks, the husks or 
skins, are nearly devoid of nutriment and 
quite indigestible ; they should, therefore, 
be removed. Vegetables should generally 
be boiled, this being continued long enough 
to disintegrate the tissues and allow the 
starch granules to break up. The saline 
and saccharine constituents being extracted 
by the water, vegetables lose some of their 
main elements — especially if the water be 
soft. This renders it advisable to add a 
little salt to the water. The salt also acts 
to preserve the color of green vegetables. 
The garden vegetables of this country 



43 



are numerous and varied in character, and 
may be served in many ways. Chief among 
them are potatoes and tomatoes, which rank 
amid the most constant constituents of meals. 

Boiled Potatoes {with the ski7is) . — Select 
potatoes of uniform size, wash well in salted 
water and boil till a fork will penetrate with 
ease to the center of the largest. Then 
pour off the water, sprinkle with salt, and 
dry over the fire. Peel quickly and serve 
in an open dish. 

Without the Skins. — Pare very thin, so 
as to preserve the starch, much of which 
lies next the skin. To this the mealiness 
of the potato is due. Leave them half a'l 
hour in cold water, then put in slightly 
salted boiling water and boil gently till 
tender. Drain, salt, and dry as above. 
Some varieties of potatoes cook best by 
putting on in cold water and bringing to a 
boil; others best as above directed. 

Fried Potatoes. — Pare, wash and slice 
some new potatoes, or cold boiled potatoes, 
season with pepper and salt, and fry lightly 
in dripping or butter, turning them con- 
stantly until nicely browned. 

Saratoga Chips. — Peel good-sized pota- 
toes, and slice them as evenly as possible. 
Drop them into ice-water ; put a few at a 
time into a towel and press, to dry the mois- 
ture out of them. Then drop them into a 
pan of simmering hot lard. Stir occasion- 
ally, and when of a light brown, sprinkle 
with salt ; take them out with a perforated 
skimmer, shake both an instant. They 
will be crisp and not greasy. 

Potato Croquettes. — Take two cups of 
cold mashed potato, season with a pinch of 
salt and pepper, and a tablespoonful of but- 
ter. Beat the whites of two eggs thor- 
oughly and add. Make into small balls, dip 
them in the beaten yolks of the eggs, then 
roll either in flour or cracker crumbs ; fry 
the same as fish-balls. 

Baked Potatoes. — Wash some large 
potatoes, wipe, and bake in a quick oven 
till tender. Break the skins that the steam 
may escape. Serve in a napkin with the skins 
on. Three quarters to an hour should 
suffice to cook them, 



28 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Lyonnaise Potatoes. — Cut cold boiled 
potatoes into cubes, season with salt and 
pepper. Fry two tablespoonfuls chopped 
onions in an equal quantity of beef dripping 
or butter till light brown ; then put in the 
potato and cook till it takes up the fat. 
Add some chopped parsley and serve. The 
flavor will be improved by a teaspoonful of 
vinegar. 

Creamed Potatoes. — Cut four cold po- 
tatoes into cubes or slices, and put them, 
with a half cup of milk, into a pan or double 
boiler ; cook till they have absorbed nearly 
all the milk. Add two tablespoonfuls but- 
ter, cook five minutes longer, and serve hot. 
You may add to the seasoning a little 
chopped parsley. 

Potato Puff. — Beat the yolks of two 
eggs and add salt and pepper. Add two 
tablespoonfuls butter to a cup of hot milk, 
mix it into the potatoes, and beat in the 
yolks. Beat the whites till stiff, and pour 
into the potato. Bake in a moderate oven 
about twenty minutes, or until the mixture 
browns and puffs up. 

Roast Potatoes with Beef. — Pare po- 
tatoes and place in roasting pan with beef, 
basting when you do the beef; let bake 
until tender and brown. 

Mashed Potatoes. — To four medium- 
sized potatoes, measure one tablespoonful 
butter, quarter teaspoonful salt, a sprinkle 
of pepper, eight tablespoonfuls milk, heated. 
Mash the hot potatoes in the saucepan in 
which they were boiled. Beat with a wire 
masher until light, and serve in a hot dish. 

hrown Potato Balls. — Mash and sea- 
son cold baked or boiled potatoes, or use 
cold mashed potatoes. Roll the potato mix- 
ture into balls, oi pat into flat cakes. Place 
on a buttered tin, put a small piece of butter 
on top of each, and bake on the grate of a 
hot oven until golden-brown. 

Surprise Balls. — Roll the potato balls 
as above, and with a teaspoon press a hol- 
low in the top. Chop fine some cold, lean 
meat, season it with salt and pepper, and 
put one Len spoonful of the meat into the 
hollow of the potato ball. Put a little but- 
ter on the top of each ball, and brown in the 
even on the grate. 



44 



Scalloped Potatoes. = Butter a baking 
dish, pare potatoes and slice them thin, put 
in dish a layer of potatoes, then a layer of 
onions, a few bread crumbs, sprinkle each 
layer with salt and pepper and butter, keep 
on this way till dish is nearly full, then fill 
with milk or cream, cover and bake one 
hour. The onions may be omitted. 

Boiled Sweet Potatoes. — Choose po- 
tatoes of the same size, if possible. Put into 
boiling salted water, and cook till a fork will 
easily pierce the largest. Pour off water 
and let dry in oven for five minutes. Peel 
before serving. 

Fried Sweet Potatoes. — Scrape and 
slice sweet potatoes, sprinkle a little salt 
over them, use lard and butter in frying-pan. 
put in potatoes and fry brown . Serve very hot, 

Stewed Sweet Potatoes. — Use small 
sweet potatoes, pare and boil tender. Make 
thickening of cream and flour ; pour over po- 
tatoes, let boil ; add salt and pepper to taste. 

Fried Tomatoes. — Wash the tomatoes 
and cut them in slices without removing the 
skin. Mix together, sprinkle pepper, quar- 
ter teaspoonful salt and tablespoonful flour, 
and dredge the slices thoroughly on both 
sides. Have ready in the frying pan enough 
melted butter to cover the bottom of the 
pan, and when hot lay in the tomatoes. 
When cooked, place them on a hot dish 
and keep them hot. Add half cup milk or 
water to the liquid in the pan. Melt and 
brown together half tablespoonful butter, 
half tablespoonful flour and quarter tea- 
spoonful salt, acd add the liquid from the 
pan. Pour through a wire strainer and 
serve with the tomatoes. 

Stewed Tomatoes. — Pour boiling water 
on them to loosen the skins ; peel and cut 
up, extracting all hard and unripe parts. 
Stew in a saucepan half an hour ; then add 
salt and pepper, a teaspoonful white sugar, 
and a tablespoonful butter. Stew slowly 
fifteen minutes more. A little grated bread 
may be used for thickening. 

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes. — Cut a thin 
slice from the blossom and of large, smooth 
tomatoes, scoop out the inside and chop it 
up fine with some grated bread, green corn, 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



29 



butter, and a seasoning of salt, pepper and 
sugar. Mix well and stuff the hollowed 
tomatoes, replace the sliced pieces, bake 
three-quarters of an hour in a deep dish, 
until brown. Do not peel the tomatoes. 

Scalloped Tomatoes. — Butter the sides 
and bottom of a pudding-dish. Put a layer 
of bread crumbs in the bottom, on which 
put a layer of sliced tomatoes, and season 
with salt, pepper and some bits of butter, 
'and a very little white sugar. Then repeat 
with another layer of crumbs, another of 
tomato, and seasoning, until the dish is 
filled, having the top layer of slices of tomato, 
with bits of butter on each. Bake under 
cover until they are well cooked through ; 
remove the cover *and brown quickly. 

Boiled Cabbage. — Wash the cabbage in 
cold water, trim off the limp outside leaves, 
cut into eight pieces, or, if it must be 
cooked quickly, chop it into smaller pieces. 
Put it into a kettle and cover with boiling 
water, allowing one-half teaspoonful salt to 
each quart of water. Do not cover the 
kettle and there will be very little of the 
cabbage odor in the house. A young cab- 
bage requires about thirty minutes to cook. 
When the cabbage is done the water may 
be drained off, and a little milk, one table- 
spoonful butter, one teaspoonful salt, and 
a sprinkle of pepper added. Boil up once 
and serve. 

Vinegar is generally placed on the table 
with boiled cabbage. Drawn butter may 
be eaten with it, and is an improvement. 
Cabbage may be boiled in the water in 
which corned beef or ham has been cooked. 

Cooked Cabbage. — Chop cabbage fine, 
cook in kettle with enough water to cover ; 
season with salt, pepper and meat drip- 
pings. Serve with vinegar. 

Stewed Cabbage. — Cut a hard white 
head of cabbage in two pieces, cut one 
piece as fine as possible, and put in a stew- 
pan with a piece of butter the size of an ^%,'g. 
Salt and pepper, sprinkle with flour and 
sugar, and a little water, and let cook. 
Make a dressing of one ^^%, one teaspoon- 
ful cream, one cup of weak vinegar. Pour 
over cabbage about five minutes before 
removing from fire. 



45 



Ladies' Cabbage. — Boil a firm white 
cabbage for fifteen minutes, drain and add 
fresh boiling water. When it grows tender, 
drain and set aside until cold. Chop fine ; 
add two beaten eggs, a tablespoonful of but- 
ter, some pepper and salt, and three table- 
spoonfuls of rich milk or cream. Stir all 
well together, and bake in a buttered pud- 
ding-dish until brown. Serve very hot.' 
The prepared cabbage resembles cauliflower 
and is a very digestible and palatable dish. 

Sour=crout — Barrels having held wine 
or vinegar are generally used in which to 
prepare sour-crout, but it is better to have 
a special barrel for the purpose. Slice 
white and firm cabbages into fine shreds. 
There are instruments for this purpose. At 
the bottom of the barrel place a layer of 
coarse salt, and add alternately layers of 
cabbage and salt, being careful to have one 
of salt on the top. As each layer of cab- 
bage is added, it must be forced down with 
blows of a heavy pestle, fresh layers being 
added as soon as the juice floats on the sur- 
face. The cabbage should be seasoned with 
a few grains of coriander, juniper berries, 
etc. When the barrel is full it must be put 
in a dry cellar, and covered with a cloth, 
under a~ plank, on which heavy weights are 
laid. At the end of a few days it will be 
gin to ferment. During this process the 
pickle must be drawn off and replaced by 
fresh, until the liquor becomes clear. This 
should be done every day. Finally, renew 
the cloth, wash the cover, replace the 
weights, and let stand for a month. By 
that time the sour-crout will be ready fot 
use. Care must be taken to let the least 
possible air enter the sour-crout, and to 
have the cover perfectly clean. Each time 
the barrel has to be opened it must be care- 
fully closed again. To neglect these pre- 
cautions may ruin the operation. 

Sour-crout is often fried in the same 
manner as fried cabbage, excepting that it 
is first boiled until soft in just enough 
water to cook it. Vinegar should be added 
after frying. 

Boiled Cauliflower. — Take off leaves 
and cut stalk close to flower bunch. Soak 
in cold water half an hour, then tie in 
coarse bobbinet lace or cheese-cloth to 



30 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



breaking, 



put into boiling salted 
until tender. Serve with 



prevent 

water and cook 

drawn butter. 

Scalloped Cauliflower.- Boil until ten- 
der, cut up and pack, stems downward, in 
a buttered pudding-dish. Take a cup of 
breadcrumbs, add two tablespoonfuls melted 
butter and six of milk ; beat to a soft 
paste, season with salt and pepper, add a 
beaten ^gz, and cover the cauliflower. Cover 
the dish and bake in a hot oven six minutes. 
Remove cover and brown. Serve hot. 

Boiled Onions. — Place onions in cold 
water and peel. Then cover with boiling 
water in a saucepan. Cook fifteen minutes, 
drain, and cover again with boiling water. 
Repeat this twice ; cook until they can be 
pierced with a wire skewer. Drain and 
season with salt, pepper, and plenty of but- 
ter. Serve with drawn butter. 

Fried Onions. — Peel, slice, slightly par- 
boil, drain, and fry until brown in equal 
quantities of lard and butter. Cover until 
they are perfectly soft, then remove the 
cover, cook imtil brown, and season with 
salt and pepper. 

Boiled Green Corn. — Test corn with 
finger nail. When the grain is pierced the 
milk should jet out, and not be thick. Strip 
off the outer leaves, turn back the inner 
covering, and pick off all the silk. Then 
replace the inner husks. Put into salted 
boiling water, and cook fast for from ten to 
twenty minutes, according to size and age 
of the ears. Cut the stalks off close to the 
cob, and send to table wrapped in a napkin. 

Or the corn may be cut from the cob 
while hot, and seasoned with butter, salt, 
and pepper. Serve hot in a vegetable dish.- 

Qreen Corn Fritters. — Grate the corn ; 
use with each cupful an ^^-g and a half and 
a tablespoonful milk or cream. Beat the 
egg, and gradually add the corn, still beat- 
ing. Put a tablespoonful of melted butter 
to the pint of corn ; stir in the milk, and 
thicken with a little flour. Salt to taste. 
Fry in hot lard, or cook on a griddle, like 
batter cakes. 

Baked Corn. — To two cups of chopped 
fiorn (either fresh or canned) add two beaten 



46 



eggs, one-half teaspoonful salt, speck of 
pepper, one tablespoonful melted butter, and, 
two cupfuls .scalded milk. Bake in a but- 
tered pudding dish until firm. 

Corn Pudding. — Scrape or grate the 
corn from a dozen ears of tender green corn. 
Beat separately the whites and yolks of tour 
eggs . Mix the corn and yolks , and stir hard 
while adding two tablespoonfuls of butter. 
Then add one quart of milk, a tablespoonful 
of sugar and a little salt and pepper, and 
lastly the whites of the eggs, stirring con- 
stantly. Bake slowly at first, covering the 
dish, for an hour. Then take off the cover 
and brown. This pudding can be made 
from canned corn in winter, by chopping 
the corn fine. It is a delit^ious accompani- 
ment to a meat course. 

Stewed Corn. — Shave corn off the ear ; 
to three pints of corn add three tablespoon- 
fuls of butter, pepper and salt to taste, and 
just enough water to cover; place in pan, 
cover and cook rather slow, from half hour 
to an hour, stirring often ; just before it is 
done, add a half cup sweet cream thickened 
with a little flour. 

Scalloped Corn. — Cut corn off the cob, 
put into baking dish a layer of corn, then a 
layer of breadcrumbs, sprinkle with salt, 
pepper and lumps of butter, then a layer of 
corn, putting corn on top with lumps o 
butter, and pour in cream or milk till quite 
moist. Bake thirty minutes. 

Green Beans. — To cook green beans 
(fresh from the vines) without pork, have 
the kettle hot, and put in a tablespoonful of 
lard, let it get hot, stir in the lard one table- 
spoonful of flour, let brown a little, then 
pour in a half gallon of cold water, then add 
beans, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until 
tender. 

String Beans. — Break off the end 
that grew to the vine, drawing off at the 
same time the string upon the edges. Re- ' 
peat this process from the other end ; cut 
the beans with a sharp knife into pieces half 
an inch long, and boil them in just enough 
water to cover them. They usually require 
two and a half hour's boiling ; but this de- 
pends upon their age and freshness. After 
they have boiled until tender, and the water 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



31 



boiled nearly out, add pepper, salt, a table- 
spoonful of butter, and a half a cup of cream. 

Lima and Butter Beans. — Soak a while 
in cold water ; then put into a pot well filled 
with boiling water and a little salt. Boil until 
tender. Drain and butter well when dished. 
The average time to cook is forty minutes. 

Boston Baked Beans. — Soak one quart 
of pea beans over night. Drain, cover with 
fresh water to which half teaspoonful of soda 
has been added and cook slowly until the 
skins wrinkle. Drain again and put in bean 
pot with half pound salt pork, half table- 
spoonful salt and two tablespoonfuls molas- 
ses. Cover with boiling water and bake at 
least eight hours. The pork should be 
buried in the beans, leaving the rind exposed. 

Succotash. — This is made of green corn 
and Lima, string, or butter beans. The 
corn, when cut from the cob, should be a 
third more than the beans. Just cover with 
boiling water, and stew together until ten- 
der, stirring now and then. Then pour off 
nearly all the water, add a large cupful of 
milk, and stew for an hour, watching to 
prevent burning. Stir in a large lump of 
butter, a teaspoonful of flour moistened 
with milk, pepper and salt. Boil up once, 
and serve in a deep vegetable dish. 

Green Peas. — Take fresh peas, hull 
them, put in pan in cold water for half an 
hour, and cook twenty or thirty minutes in 
small quantity of boiling water. Drain , season 
with pepper and salt and plenty of butter. 
Serve hot. 

Boiled Peas or Beans. — Choose fresh, 
green peas or beans. Put them into a kettle 
with just enough boiling water to keep 
them from burning. Boil until they are 
soft. To one pint of the vegetables add one 
tablespoonful butter, a sprinkle of pepper, 
and a little salt, if necessary. Serve in a 
hot dish. 

Dried Peas or Beans. — Pick them over 
and remove specks, pebbles, and faulty 
peas or beans. Soak in cold water a few 
hours or over night. Pour off the water, 
add fresh cold water, and set on the back oif 
the stove to heat slowly, and simmer until 
soft. If desired to use as soup, they may 



be boiled until they fall to pieces and form 
a soft, pulpy mass. Split peas need to be 
soaked only half an hour before cooking. 

Boiled Beets. — Take small, smooth beets; 
wash carefully, and put into boiling water, 
Boil an hour or two, or until tender. Do 
not probe them, but press with fingers to 
see if they are done. Take up, lay in a pan 
of cold water, and peel. Cut into slices, 
season with salt, pepper, butter, or vinegar. 
Serve hot. 

Cooked Beets with Dressing. — Cook 

beets and slice in saucepan, and pour the 
following dressing over them : One small tea- 
cupful vinegar (if strong dilute with water), 
a tablespoonful each of sugar and butter. 
Salt and pepper to taste. One tablespoon- 
ful of corn starch, dissolved in water ; stir all 
together and boil until thick ; pour over the 
beets, and send to the table in a covered dish. 

Boiled Beets. — Scrub the beets without 
breaking the roots. Boil until they can be 
easily pierced with a skewer. Young beets 
require thirty or forty minutes to cook ; old 
beets from one to two hours. When done 
dip into cold water, rub ofi" the skin, cut off 
the tops and roots, and slice. Sprinkle with 
salt and pepper, and pour on melted butter 
and serve. Never boil beets with any other 
food, on account of their color. 

Spinach. — Pick off the roots and decay- 
ed leaves ; wash thoroughly in three or foui 
waters. Put the spinach into a large kettle, 
. without water. Put it on the back part of 
the stove where it will cook slowly, until 
some of the juice is drawn out, then boil 
until tender. Drain, and chop if liked. To 
one-half peck of spinach add one table 
spoonful butter, one- half teaspoonful salt, 
and a sprinkle of pepper. Heat again. 
Garnish with hard-boiled eggs. 

Fried Egg=plant. — Cut the egg-plant 
into slices one-quarter inch thick ; salt each 
slice separately, putting one on top of 
another ; put on the upper slice a heavy 
weight to press out the juice, and let stand 
about half an hour. Dip in beaten &ZZ> 
then in cracker dust or breadcrumbs, or the 
two mixed ; fry quickly in hot lard to a rich 
brown. 



47 



32 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Stuffed Egg=plant. — Cut the egg-plant 
in two, and scrape out the inside, which put 
into a saucepan with a little minced ham. 
Cover with water and boil until soft, then 
drain off the water and add'two tablespoon- 
fuls of grated crumbs, a tablespoon ful of 
butter, half a minced onion, salt and pepper. 
Stuff each half of the shell with this mix- 
ture, to each add a small lump of butter, 
and bake fifteen minutes. Minced veal or 
chicken in the place of ham is equally good, 
and many prefer it. 

Stewed Salsify or Oyster=plant 

Scrape the roots and place in cold water, to 
prevent discoloration. Cut in inch-long 
pieces. Cover with hot water in a sauce- 
pan and boil tender. Then pour off most 
of the water, and add a cup of milk. Bring 
this to a boil, stew ten minutes, put in a 
large lump of butter, cut and rolled in flour ; 
season to taste ; boil up once, and serve. 
This dish has much the taste of stewed oysters . 

Asparagus — Break asparagus stalks in 
pieces any desired length ; boil until tender ; 
season with salt, pepper, and plenty of but- 
ter ; thicken with a tablespoonful of flour, 
mixed with milk. If desired, serve on toast. 
The tops, which are tender, should be placed 
in the water ten minutes after the other 
pieces begin to boil. 

Asparagus. — Boil a bunch of asparagus 
twenty minutes, or until tender. Place in 
a baking dish, add butter, pepper, and salt 
to taste. Beat well four eggs, add two 
tablespoonfuls of good cream ; pour over 
the asparagus and bake ten minutes. 

Boiled Turnips. — Scrub the turnips and 
pare off the thick skin. Cut into slices or 
quarters, and cook in boiling salted water 
until soft. Then put them into a piece of 
coarse cheese-cloth and mash fine with a 
v'/ooden masher, pressing them to remove 
the water. To one pint of mashed turnips 
add one tablespoonful butter, one-quarter 
teaspoonful salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. 
Serve in hot dish. Potatoes are sometimes 
mashed with turnips, to absorb the water. 

Carrots. — Scrub and scrape off" a very 
thin skin. Cut each carrot into slices from 
one quarter to one-half inch thick, and cook 



in boiling salted water until soft. Serve 
with a white sauce. 

Stewed Carrots. — Wash and scrape the 
carrots, and cut them into strips. Put 
these in a stewpan with water enough to 
cover them, add a spoonful of salt, and boil 
slowly until they are tender. Then drain 
and replace them in the pan, with two 
tablespoonfuls of butter rolled in flour, a 
little pepper and salt, and enough cream or 
milk to moisten the whole. Bring to a 
boil and serve hot. 

Parsnips. — Scrub, scrape off a thin 
skin, cut each parsnip into quarters length- 
wise, and cook in boiling salted water, from 
thirty to forty minutes, until soft. Place in 
a dish and pour a white sauce over them, 
or serve with vinegar on the table. They 
may be buttered after boiling, placed in the 
oven and baked a golden brown. 

Fried Parsnips. — Wash and scrape pars- 
nips, quarter and remove heart, cut in pieces 
about two inches long, salt and pepper. 
Mix butter and lard in frying-pan , put them 
in and fry till a nice brown. 

Parsnip Balls. — Wash and boil in 
water with a little salt, cook till perfectly 
tender. When cold scrape off" the skin, 
mash them , and for each cup of the mashed 
parsnips, add one-half cup breadcrumbs and 
one ^%^, salt and pepper. Flour the hands 
and make into balls, brown in hot butter, 
and serve very hot. 

Summer Squash. — When young and 
tender, this can be fried in the same man- 
ner as egg-plant. Winter squash takes 
much longer to cook, and should be soaked 
in cold water for two hours or more before 
cooking. Cold stewed squash can be used 
by taking two cups of squash, two eggs, 
two tablespoonfuls of flour, one-half cup of 
milk, and a small piece of butter. Fry in 
hot lard. 

Stewed Pumpkin. — Cut in two, remove 
the seeds, slice, and pare. Soak for an 
hour in cold water, then put in boiling 
water and stew gently, stirring often. 
When the pieces grow tender and break, 
drain and squeeze dry, rub through a 
colander, and return to the pan with a 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



33 



seasoning of bulter, salt and pepper. Stir 
rapidly from bottom till very hot. Dish 
in a mound shape. 

Vegetable Hash. — Chop up coarsely the 
vegetables left over from dinner — cabbage, 
parsnips, potatoes, beans, etc. Sprinkle 
them v^^ith a little pepper. Take a sauce- 
pan or frying-pan, oiling its sides and bot- 
tom vi^ith melted butter ; then put in the 
chopped vegetables, pour in a few spoonfuls 
of hot water, and cover quickly to keep in 
the steam. When thoroughly heated, re- 
move the cover and stir the mixture till 
well cooked. Serve hot. 

Milk and Cheese. 

Milk should be kept covered with a 
cloth to prevent it from absorbing impuri- 
ties from the air. It should be sterilized for 
babies and young children ; especially during 
warm weather. Vessels used for milk should 
DC kept perfectly clean . Rinse them out after 
using, fill them with water in which a tea- 
spoonful of borax or washing soda has 
been dissolved and let them stand an hour. 
Then wash them in hot soap-suds, scald 
them, rinse again and let them cool. 

Sterilized Milk.— Sterilize milk bottles 
or jars by boiling them twenty minutes in 
water. Remove them, fill two-thirds full of 
milk, and cork with baked or prepared cot- 
ton or with rubber corks which have been 
sterilized. Place the bottles on a vdre stand 
in a kettle of cold water, heat the water 
gradually to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and 
keep it at that temperature forty minutes ; 
then remove the bottles and cool quickly by 
placing them in cold or iced water. Keep 
the bottles in a cool place. 

A thermometer for testing the tempera- 
ture may be bought at any pharmacy, but 
if there is none at hand heat the milk until 
a scum forms over the top, and keep it as 
nearly as possible at that temperature for 
forty minutes. Do not allow it to boil. 

Cold Custard or Junket. — Warm one 
quart new sweet milk, add two tablespoon- 
fuls sugar, and stir until the sugar is dis- 
solved. Pour the mixture into a glass or 
china dish and add one tablespoonful liquid 
rennet, and set it in a warm place. If, at 

26 R 49 



the end of an hour, it has not begun to 
harden, stir in one teaspoonful more of ren- 
net ; it should be firm in one or two hours. 
Remove it to a cool place or set it on ice to 
cool. It should be eaten within an hour 
after it has hardened or it will separate into 
curds and whey. Serve with cream. Cold 
custard may be flavored with nutmeg grated 
over the surface, or a teaspoonful of vanilla 
extract or rosewater stirred in with the rennet. 

Cornstarch Blanc flange. — Scald a pint 
of milk in a double-boiler. Add one table- 
spoonful sugar and a sprinkle of salt, with 
some mashed or preserved strawberries or a 
little cocoa, mixed with some cold milk. 
Mix two tablespoonfuls cornstarch with cold 
milk, stir it into the hot milk, boil and stir 
five or ten minutes, until it is smooth and 
thick. Pour the mixture into cold wet 
cups or molds. Serve cold with cream or 
milk and sugar. 

Toast and Cheese. — Prepare toast ; dip 
in hot, salted v/ater ; grate enough dry 
cheese to cover the slices ; set in the oven to 
melt, and put the slices together as sand- 
wiches. This may be enriched in various 
ways by adding ^zz, butter, and spices. 

Cheese Pudding. — Butter a baking dish, 
put in a cup of grated breadcrumbs and a 
half cup grated cheese in layers, or mix and 
keep some crumbs for the top. Beat an &gg 
slightly, add a half cup of milk, salt and 
cayenne pepper ; pour in baking dish, add a 
top layer of crumbs and bake till brown. 

Rice and Cheese Pudding. — Pick over 
and wash a cup of rice. Steam until soft in 
salted water, in a double boiler. Butter a 
baking dish, put in the rice and two cups 
of grated cheese in layers, pour on one cup 
of white sauce. Sprinkle over it buttered 
cracker crumbs and brown in the oven 
Macaroni may be used in the same way. 

Welsh Rarebit. — Take half pound 
grated cheese and Quarter cupful milk or 
cream, put into a double boiler, and stir 
until the cheese is melted. Beat one &%%, 
and add mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper ; 
then pour the milk and cheese over the mix- 
ture. Add a teaspoonful of butter, return 
to the boiler, and cook until it thickens, 
stirring constantly. Pour it over dry toast. 



34 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Cheese Sticks. — Take oue pint flour, 
one-half pint grated cheese ; mix and make 
paste with lard the size of an ^^^ ; make 
the same as pie crust. Roll out and cut in 
strips one half inch wide and five inches 
long ; sprinkle over top with grated cheese 
and bake a light brown. 

Cheese Straws. — One cup of grated 
cheese, one-half cup butter, three-fourths 
cup of flour, sifted, one small teaspoonful 
dry mustard, four teaspoonfuls of cold 
water ; mix all together and roll out like 
pie crust, cut into strips half-inch broad 
and five inches long. Bake a light brown 
and serve with salads. 

Macaroni With Cheese. — Take twelve 
sticks of macaroni broken into one inch 
lengths, and cook in three pints of boiling 
salted water twenty minutes ; turn into a 
colander and pour over it cold water ; drain, 
make a sauce of one tablespoonful each of 
butter and flour, and one and one-half cups 
of hot milk ; salt and pepper to taste ; put 
a layer of grated cheese in the bottom of 
baking dish, then a layer of sauce, then 
macaroni, and sauce, cover this with fine 
breadcrumbs ; bake until brown. 

Sauces and Salads. 

Drawn Butter. — Take one and one-half 
teaspoonfuls flour, make of it a thin paste 
with cold water, and stir it into a teacupful 
of hot water. Bring to a boil, and add by 
degrees two ounces of butter, stirring till 
well mixed. Boil one minute. 

Tomato Sauce. — Heat one tablespoon- 
ful of butter ; cook in it a teaspoonful chopped 
onion until golden brown ; stir in one table- 
spoonful flour, and cook till smooth. Add 
one-half cup water or stock gradually, pour 
in one cup of strained tomato, add salt and 
pepper, boil five minutes, and strain. Serve 
with boiled macaroni, or boiled or baked 
meat. 

White Sauce. — Take two tablespoon- 
fuls each butter and flour. Melt the butter 
in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and work 
in the butter until smooth. Cook it, stir- 
ring until the flour swells and is smooth. 
Add one cup scalded milk gradually, and 
boil, stirring constantly until the mixture 



thickens. Stir in a seasoning of salt and 
pepper and serve hot. 

Use one tablespoonful flour when mak- 
ing the sauce for macaroni. A brjDwn sauce 
may be made by browning the butter before 
the flour is added. 

Macaroni Served With White Sauce. 

— Break macaroni into pieces one or two 
inches long, and cook in boiling salted 
water until tender. It will require from 
thirty minutes to one hour. Drain ofi" the 
boiling water and pour cold water over the 
macaroni. Stir the macaroni into the 
white sauce and heat it. One cup of maca- 
roi.i is the proportion for the quantity of 
white cauce in the above recipe. Two 
tablespoonfuls grated cheese stirred into the 
white sauce improves it. 

Vegetables Served With White Sauce, 

— Asparagus, tied in bunches and cooked 
in boiling salted water, carrots, turnips, 
parsnips and potatoes, boiled and cut in slices 
or cubes, may be served with white sauce. 

Bread, Biscuit and Pastry. 

Bread is one of the most important arti- 
cles of diet. It is made of flour, salt, water, 
and yeast. 

The flour best adapted for bread-making 
is that from wheat, because it will produce 
the most appetizing and nutritious loaf at 
the least cost. The quality of wheat bread 
depends to a great extent upon the kind oi 
flour used, whether whole-wheat, Graham, 
or bread flour (as the ordinary flour is called) . 

The so-called bread flour is made by 
grinding the wheat, screening out the bran 
and sifting the flour through linen or bolt- 
ing cloth several times, thus making a fine 
white flour composed chiefly of starch and 
gluten. The whole-wheat flour differs from 
this in that the whole grain is ground fine, 
thus obtaining more gluten and some min- 
eral matter, both of which lie close to the bran. 

Graham flour is made from the whole 
grain ground coarse. 

Both the whole-wheat flour and the 
Graham are dark in color and make dark 
bread. 

Pastry flour contains a very small 
amount of gluten, and is used for pies and 
cakes. 



50 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



3S 



There are certain general rules by which 
good bread flour can be tested. 

First. It should have a yellowish tinge. 

Second. When pressed in the hand it 
should fall loosely apart. 

Third. When rubbed between the fin- 
gers it should feel slightly granular. 

In bread-making an indispensible re- 
quisite is good yeast ; and though modern 
bread and cake makers avail themselves 
largely of baking powders, a recipe for sat- 
isfactory yeast is of the first importance. 
The one given below has the warrant of ex- 
perienced housekeepers. 

Excellent Yeast. — Boil two ounces of 
the best hops in four quarts of water for 
half an hour ; then strain and let stand until 
lukewarm. Put it in an earthen bowl, add 
half a cupful each of salt and brown sugar, 
and a quart of flour; mix all well together, 
and let it stand forty-eight hours. Now 
add six medium sized potatoes, which have 
been boiled and mashed through a colan- 
der, and let stand for another day, then 
stram and bottle and it is fit for use. While 
making it must be kept near a fire and often 
stirred. This yeast ferments of itself and 
needs the aid of no old yeast. If care be 
taken to let it ferment sufl&ciently in the 
bowl, it may immediately be corked tightly. 
Be careful to keep it in a cool place, and 
before using shake the bottle briskly. It 
will keep in a cool place two months, and 
is best the latter part of the time. Use 
about the same quantity as of other yeast. 

Yeast Cakes. — Boil one quart pared and 
sliced potatoes and a double handful of 
hops (tied in a muslin bag) in two quarts 
of water for nearly an hour. Then take 
out the hops and strain the remainder 
through a colander into a bowl. Stir into 
the hot liquid flour enough to make a stiff 
batter, beat up well, add two tablespoonfuls 
of lively yeast, and set to rise in a warm 
place. When light stir in a cup of Indian 
meal, roll into a thin sheet, and cut into 
round cakes. Dry these in a very moderate 
heat, and when quite dry and cold place 
them in a cool dry place. For a fair-sized 
loaf use a cake three inches in diameter, 
soaking until soft and adding a little soda. 



These cakes will keep a month in summer, 
two months in winter. 

Wheat Bread. — Take a cup of luke- 
warm milk, or of water with a teaspoonful 
of butter, a quarter cake yeast dissolved in a 
quarter cup of lukewarm water, or a quarter 
cup of liquid yeast, flour to make a stifi^ 
dough (three and quarter to three and half 
cups) one teaspoonful sugar and one tea- 
spoonful salt. 

Scald the milk, add the sugar and salt, 
and cool it until lukewarm. Dissolve the 
compressed yeast in the lukewarm water, 
and add it. Stir in flour to make a dough 
stiff enough to handle. Scrape the dough 
out on a floured board, and knead it about 
fifteen minutes. It should be smooth and 
elastic, so that when pressed with the finger 
the dough springs back. Put the dough 
back into the bowl. Cover with a towel, 
and set it in a warm place and let the dough 
rise until double its bulk. Then lay it on 
a board and knead it again about fifteen 
minutes, using as little flour as possible. 
Shape it into biscuit or loaves, lay them m 
a greased pan, let them rise in a warm place, 
until double their bulk, and bake on the 
floor of a hot oven. Biscuit will require 
from twenty to thirty minutes, and loaves 
from forty-five minutes to one hour. If the 
dough is mixed with water, a little butter 
may be added to prevent the bread from 
being tough. The butter should be added 
to the lukewarm water. The quantity of 
yeast in the recipe will raise the dough to 
double its bulk in about six hours ; one- 
third of a cake of yeast will raise it in about 
four hours, and one-eighth of a cake will 
raise it in about twelve hours. When the 
bread is baked take it out of the pan and let 
it stand uncovered, that the air may circu- 
late around it. When it is perfectly cold 
put it away in a clean, dry tin box. Do not 
wrap it in cloth, as the cloth absorbs the 
moisture in the bread and destroys it flavor. 

Bread Made with a Sponge. — Use recipe 
for bread, stirring in only enough flour to 
make a thick batter. lyCt the batter rise 
over night. In the morning add flour to 
make a stiff dough, and knead or beat it 
until it is smooth. Mold it lightly into 
loaves or biscuits. Let them rise until 



51 



36 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



double their bulk, and bake. A potato 
may be mashed and stin'ed into the batter 
before it is set away to rise. 

Graham Bread. — Take one teacupful of 
wheat flour, a half teacupful each of molas- 
ses and of good yeast, a teaspoonful of salt, 
and a pint of warm water. Mix these and 
add sufficient Graham flour to make the 
dough as stiff as can be stirred with a 
strong spoon. Set this over night, and in 
the morning add one teaspoonful of soda, 
dissolved in a little water. Mix well, and 
pour into two medium-sized pans, which 
should be about half full. Let stand in a 
warm place until the dough rises to the top 
of the pans, then bake one hour in a fairly 
hot oven. 

The loaves should be covered when first 
put into the oven with a thick brown paper, 
or an old tin cover ; this prevents the upper 
crust hardening before the loaf is well risen. 
If these directions are correctly followed the 
bread will not be heavy or sodden. 

Graham Bread. — Mix the sponge or 
batter, using a pint of lukewarm water, half a 
teaspoonful salt, half yeast cake and one cup 
flour. When lighc, stir in three tablespoon - 
fuls molasses and beat until it is thoroughly 
mixed ; then add enough Graham flour to 
make a soft dough. Knead it ten minutes, 
shape it into two loaves, and put it in 
greased pans to rise. When light, bake in 
a moderate oven about thirty minutes. The 
bread may be made without any white flour. 

Entire Wheat or Whole Wheat Bread. 

— Use recipe for Graham bread substituting 
whole wheat flour for the Graham. 

Soft Graham Bread. — Mix together two 
cupfuls Graham flour, one cupful white 
flour, one teaspoonful salt, four tablespoon- 
fuls molasses, one tablespoonful butter or 
lard and lukewarm water to make a soft 
dough, add half a yeast cake dissolved in 
halt a cupful of lukewarm water. Beat thor- 
oughly and allow it to double its bulk. 
Beat again, and pour into greased pans. L,et 
it double its bulk. Bake in moderate oven. 

Boston Brown Bread. — Mix together 
thoroughly two cupfuls of rye meal or Gra- 
ham flour, one cupful corn meal, one-half 
teaspoonful salt, and one-quarter teaspoonful 



soda. Add two cupfuls of milk and one-half 
cup molasses. Fill a greased mold two-thirds 
full, cover it and steam six hours or longer. 
The longer it is steamed the darker and 
richer it becomes. 

Boston Brown Bread. — Mix one pint 
of rye flour, one quart of corn-meal, one tea- 
cupful of Graham flour, half a teacupful of 
molasses or brown sugar, a teaspoonful of 
salt, and two-thirds of a teacupful of yeast. 
Stir this with a spoon into as stifi" a dough 
as you can, using warm water for wetting. 
Let it rise several hours, or over night. In 
the morning, or when light, add a teaspoon- 
ful of soda dissolved in a spoonful of warm 
water ; beat well and turn into, well-greased, 
deep pans, and let it rise again. Bake in a 
moderate oven from three to four hours. 

Boston Brown Bread (Unfermented). — 
Stir thoroughly together, wetting with sour 
milk, one cupful of rye flour, two cupfuls of 
corn meal, one cupful of white flour, half a 
teacupful of molasses or sugar, and a tea- 
spoonful of salt. Then add a level tea- 
spoonful of soda dissolved in a tablespoonful 
of water. Sweet milk may be used by sub- 
stituting baking-powder for soda. The bat- 
ter must be stirred thick with a spoon, and 
turned into well-greased pans. 

Virginia Brown Bread. — Take a pint 
of corn-meal, and thoroughly scald with 
boiling water. To this, when cool, add 
a pint of light, white bread sponge, mix 
well, and add a cupful of molasses, and Gra- 
ham flour sufficient to mold. When light 
bake for an hour and a half in a moderate 
oven. The quantities here given will make 
two loaves. 

Boston Corn Bread, — Take one cupful 
of sweet and two of sour milk, two-thirds 
cupful of molasses, a cupful of wheat flour, 
four cupfuls corn-meal, and a teaspoonful of 
soda. Steam for three hours and brown in 
the oven a few minutes. If made with sweet 
milk and baking-powder it is equally good. 

Corn Bread. — Beat thoroughly two eggs 
— whites and yolks separately . Mix two heap- 
ing cupfuls of Indian meal and one cupful 
of flour, adding a teaspoonful of melted lard 
and milk enough to make a thin batter. 
Put into the flour while yet dry a teaspoonful 



Chicken and Sweetbread Croquettes 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 
Add to a sweetbread cooked, cooled and chopped, not too fine — enough chopped 
chicken to make one pint in all. Melt one-fourth a cup of butter, add half a cup of flour 
and cook until frothy ; then add gradually, stirring constantly, one cup of chicken stock, 
well seasoned with vegetables and sweet herbs, and one-third a cup of cream. Season to 
taste with salt and pepper ; add one egg, well beaten, and the chopped meat. Set aside 
to become cold, then shape, apply egg-and-bread crumbs, and fry in deep fat ; drain on 
soft paper. Serve with mushroom sauce in a boat. 



Medallions of Mutton with Green Pea Salad 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 

Remove the bones and fat from lamb or mutton chops, and skewer the meat in rounds. 
Braise the meat with the bones and fine cut vegetables until tender; let cool under a 
weight cover with brown chaudfroid sauce, decorate with white and yolk of egg, and brush 
over with liquid aspic. Serve cold with cooked peas dressed with French dressing. 

Brow7i Chaudfroid Sauce. — To a cup of highly seasoned brown sauce add the yolk of 
an ^%%, diluted with one-fourth a cup of cream and a scant tablespoonful of gelatine soft- 
ened in three tablespoonfuls of stock. Use when cold, but still liquid. 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



37 



of soda and two of cream of- tartar. Put 
in the eggs last. Beat very briskly. Bake 
quickly in a buttered mold ; a half hour is 
usually time enough. All kinds of corn 
bread should be eaten while hot. 

Corn Pone. — To one quart of corn meal 
mush, add one and one-half pints cold 
water ; stir well and add corn meal to make 
soft batter. Let stand overnight in a warm 
place. In the morning add one cupful but- 
termilk, a level teaspoonful soda, one ^^^ 
beaten light, one tablespoonful salt, three- 
fourths cupful sugar, two tablespoonfuls 
flour. Add enough meal to make it about 
as stiff as common corn bread and bake one 
hour and a quarter in a moderate oven. 

Johnnie Cake. — Sift into a pan one 
quart of Indian meal, and, making a hole in 
the middle, pour in a pint of warm water, 
and add a teaspoonful of salt. Mix the 
meal and water with a spoon into a soft 
dough ; then stir very briskly for a quarter 
of an hour or more, till it becomes light and 
spongy. The dough must next be spread 
evenly on a straight, flat board, and the 
board be placed nearly upright before an 
open fire, with some support to hold it in 
position. Bake well ; when done, cut into 
squares ; send hot to table, split and buttered. 

New England Corn Cake. — Take a 
quart of milk, a pint of corn meal, a teacup- 
fiil of wheat flonr, a teaspoonful of salt, and 
two tablespoonfuls of melted butter. Scald 
the milk, and pour it gradually on the meal. 
When cool, add the butter and salt, and half 
a cupful of yeast. L,etset over night. In the 
morning beat the sponge thoroughly, and 
add two well -beaten eggs, and half a tea- 
spoonful of soda dissolved in a teaspoonful 
of water. Pour into buttered deep earthen 
plates , let stand fifteen minutes to rise again , 
and bake from twenty to thirty minutes. 

Corn Meal Griddle Cakes. — Scald two 
cupfuls of sifted corn meal and mix with a 
cupful of wheat flour and a teaspoonful of 
salt. Add three well-beaten eggs ; thin with 
enough sour milk to make the mixture the 
right consistency. Beat the mass till very 
light, and add a teaspoonful of baking-soda 
dissolved in a little water. If you use 
sweet milk, replace the soda with two large 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder. 



Lunch Biscuit To enough raised 

dough to make a loaf, add one-half cupful 
sugar, one-half cupful lard, and mix thor- 
oughly. Roll to one-fourth inch thickness 
and cut with biscuit cutter, place them in 
pan one on top of the other, with piece of 
butter the size of a pea between them. Let 
raise and bake. 

Rusk. — Two teacup fuls raised dough, 
one teacupful sugar, half cupful butter, 
two well-beaten eggs, flour enough to make 
a stiff dough ; set to raise, and, when 
light, mold into high biscuit and let raise 
again, sift sugar over top and wet with 
milk, place in oven. 

Parker House Rolls. — Scald a pint of 
milk, melt in it while warm a piece of but- 
ter the size of an ^ZZ^ ^^^ ^ tablespoonful 
of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a cupful of 
yeast. Add flour to make soft dough and 
let it rise over night. 

In the morning add half a teaspoonful 
of soda dissolved in a spoonful of water. 
Mix in enough flour to make the same stiff- 
ness as any biscuit dough, and roll out 
about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut with 
a large round cutter, spread soft butter over 
the tops, and fold one-half over the other 
by doubling. Cover, and place near the 
fire for fifteen or twenty minutes to rise be- 
fore baking. Bake in rather a quick oven. 

French Rolls. — These may be made of 
the bread dough prepared for baking. When 
making bread, reserve enough dough for 
rolls. Work into this a tablespoonful of lard 
or butter, and stand in a cool place for 
four hours. Knead again, and let stand 
three hours more. Then roll, very lightly, 
pieces of the dough into round cakes, and 
fold these over, not quite in the centre. 
Let rise again an hour, and bake half an 
hour in a hot oven. 

Risen Biscuit. — Mix one quart milk, 
three-quarters of a cupful each lard or butter 
and yeast, two tablespoonfuls white sugar, 
and a teaspoonful of salt, with flour enough 
to make a soft dough. Set over night. In 
morning roll out into a sheet three-quarters 
of an inch thick. Cut into round cakes, 
set close together in a pan , let rise twenty 
minutes, and bake twenty minutes. Or hali 



53 



38 



THE MODEL COQK BOO.^ 



the flour may be worked in, and the re- 
mainder five hours later, the dough being 
ieft to rise five liours more. 

Gluten Bread. — Scald a pint of milk ; 
when lukewarm, add the whites of two eggs 
slightly beaten, and one yeast cake dissolved 
in two tablespoon fuls of warm water ; add 
sufficient gluten flour to make a thick bat- 
ter. Beat for five minutes ; cover, and 
stand aside for three hours ; then add suffi- 
cient flour to make as thick a batter as you 
can handle with a spoon. Turn it into a 
greased square pan, and when it is very. 
light (about one hour) bake in a moderately 
quick oven for three-quarters of an hour. 

Gluten Muffins. — Separate two eggs ; 
beat the yolks; add a pint of milk. Add 
to this a half pint of gluten flour, a half tea- 
spoonful of salt. When thoroughly mixed, 
add a rounding teaspoonful of baking pow- 
der ; stir in the well-beaten whites of the 
eggs. Bake in greased hot gem pans in a 
moderate oven twenty minutes. 

5ally Lunn. — Warm one-half cupful of 
butter in a pint of milk ; add a teaspoonful 
of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, and two 
quarts of flour. Beat thoroughl}^ and while 
the mixture is warm, add four well-beaten 
eggs, and, lastly, four tablespoonfuls of 
yeast, which beat in well. Set it to rise 
over night in a buttered dish. In the morn- 
ing, dissolve half a teaspoonful of soda, stir 
it into the batter, and set it to rise again 
about fifteen or twenty minutes. Bake 
steadily three-quarters of an hour, or until 
a straw thrust in comes out clean. 

This cake should be torn. apart, hot cut. 
Cutting is apt to make warm bread heavy. 
Bake a light brown. Eat while hot. 

English Crumpets. — To a quart of 
warm milk, add half a cup of yeast, a tea- 
spoonful of salt, and flour enough to make 
a stiff batter. When light, rub in half a 
cupful of melted butter, a teaspoonful of 
soda dissolved in a little water, and a very 
little more flour. L,et stand twenty minutes 
or until light. Next grease some muffin 
rings, place them on a hot griddle, and fill 
them half full of the batter. When done on 
one side, turn and bake the other side. 
Butter them while hot, pile one on another, 
and serve at once. 



Rice Cakes. — Take one cup cold boiled 
rice, one pint flour, two well-beaten eggs, a 
teaspoonful salt, and milk to make a moder- 
ately thick batter. Beat well together and 
bake quickly. 

Flannel Cakes. — A quart of milk, a 
tablespoonful of butter, two well-beaten 
eggs, a teaspoonful of salt, and three table- 
spoonfuls of yeast, with flour enough to 
make a good batter. Set at night as a 
sponge, and add the butter and eggs in the 
morning. 

Buns. — Break one ^^^ into a cup and 
fill with sweet milk ; mix with it half cup- 
ful yeast, half cupful butter, one cupful 
sugar, enough flour to make a soft dough ; 
flavor with nutmeg. Let rise till very lighc, 
then mold into biscuits ; let raise a second 
time in pan, bake, and, when nearly done, 
glaze with cream and sugar. 

Coffee Cakes. — To one quart light dough 
add one cupful sugar, one-half cupful butter, 
one cupful raisins, and season with cinna- 
mon or nutmeg to taste ; let raise, then roll 
out in large round cakes ; set the other half 
away in a can in a cool place until you 
wish to bake again. 

Biscuit. — One quart flour, one teaspoon- 
ful salt, one of soda, sift together and rub in 
one tablespoonful of lard, sour milk to 
make a soft dough, bake immediately in a 
quick oven. If milk is not very sour use 
less soda. 

Tea Biscuit. — Sift together one quart of 
flour and three teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
rub in a tablespoonful lard, one-half tea- 
spoonful salt. Mix with enough sweet milk 
or water to make as soft a dough as can be 
handled. Roll and cut out biscuit. 

Soda Biscuit. — Rub into a quart of sift- 
ed flour two tablespoonfuls lard, one tea- 
spoonful salt, one scant teaspoonful soda, 
two of cream of tartar. Mix with one pint 
milk, or enough to make a very soft dough. 
Roll and cut one-half to one inch thick with 
biscuit cutter ; bake in quick oven. 

Graham Muffins. — Mix together thor- 
oughly one and one-quarter cupfuls Gra- 
ham flour, one cupful white flour, scant tea- 
spoonful soda, and a teaspoonful salt. Add 



54 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



39 



one-third cupful of molasses and one cupful 
Bour milk. Bake in greased gem pans. 

Muffins. — One cupful milk, one-half tea- 
spoonful each of butter and lard melted, a 
little salt, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
flour to make batter like cake. Bake in 
quick oven. 

Corn Meal Muffins. — Two eggs, two 
tablespoonfuls granulated sugar, one cupful 
sweet milk, one cupful of granulated corn 
meal, one and one-half cupfuls sifted flour, 
three teaspoonfuls baking powder, and -a 
pinch of salt. 

Wheat Muffins. — One pint sour milk, 
one-fourth teaspoonful soda, one and one- 
half teaspoonfuls baking powder, one-half 
teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful sugar, one 
tablespoonful butter, one beaten ^%^, flour 
enough to make stiff as cake batter. Grease 
mufl&n tins ; fill half full, and bake in a 
quick oven. Sweet milk without the soda 
may be used. Add an extra teaspoonful of 
baking powder. 

Breakfast Gems — One heaping pint 
flour, one teaspoonful baking powder, one 
teaspouniul salt, butter half size of an ^^Z-, 
one teacupful water. Bake fifteen minutes. 

Graham Gems. — One cupful sour milk, 
one-half teaspoonful soda, one tablespoonful 
sugar, pinch of salt ; add Graham flour to 
make stiff batter. Drop in greased gem 
pans and bake quickly. This amount makes 
eight gems. 

Waffles. — Mix one quart each milk and 
flour, five tablespoonfuls yeast, and a tea- 
spoonful of salt. Set this over night as a 
sponge. In the morning add two eggs and 
a tablespoonful of melted butter, and bake 
in waffle-irons. 

Rice and Corn Meal Waffles. — Mix a 
cupful cold-boiled rice, half cupful each flour 
and corn meal, two well-beaten eggs and 
milk to make soft batter. Add a table- 
spoonful melted butter, one and one-half 
teaspoonfuls baking powder, and a teaspoon- 
ful of salt. Beat smooth and bake in waffle- 
irons, greasing your irons. 

Griddle Cakes. 

Take one cupful flour, two teaspoonfuls 
baking powder, and a sprinkle of salt. Sift 



SS 



the dry ingredients together into a bowl. 
Beat an ^%%, add a scant cupful of milk, and 
stir in gradually the dry ingredients, to 
make a smooth batter. Place an iron or 
soapstone griddle over the fire and grease it 
with a little dripping. When the fat be- 
gins to smoke, dip out the batter with a 
tablespoon or ladle and pour it on the grid- 
dle to form cakes. When the cakes are full 
of bubbles, turn them so that both sides may 
be brown. Serve on hot plates, with syrup, 
or butter and sugar, or place them in layers, 
with butter, sugar and cinnamon between. 

The cakes may be varied by adding half- 
cupful of cold boiled rice, hominy, wheatena, 
oatmeal or canned corn, to the ingredients 
called for. By using a half cupful of corn 
meal, rye, Graham flour or bread crumbs, 
instead of the flour called for in the recipe, 
various kinds of griddle cakes may be made. 

Bucl^wheat Cakes. — ^Take a quart of 
buckwheat flour, a teaspoonful of salt, a 
handful of Indian meal, two tablespoonfuls 
of molasses. Add four tablespoonfuls of 
yeast and enough warm water to make a 
thin batter. Beat well and set to rise in a 
warm place. Let rise till morning and bake 
quickly on a hot iron. 

Breakfast Cakes. — Take one quart bread 
crumbs ; pour enough boiling water over to 
soak them. Add quart buttermilk, three 
eggs, one-half teaspoonful salt, tablespoon- 
ful of lard, teaspoonful soda. Stir well and 
thicken with flour to the right thickness for 
griddle cakes. 

Fritter Batter. — Beat the yolk and the 
white of one ^%z separately. To the yolk 
add a tablespoonful of butter and a little 
salt, and two tablespoonfuls water or milk, 
and stir in flour to make a smooth dough. 
Add as much more of the liquid gradually 
to make a batter, and beat in the stiff white 
of the ^zz- ^"^Y ii^ deep, hot fat. The 
fritters may be served with syrup, with sugar 
and cinnamon, or with a pudding sauce. 

To make apple fritters, add one table- 
spoonful of sugar to the batter. Cut apples 
into slices, dip in the batter and fry them. 
Sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon 
before serving. Oysters and clams may be 
dipped in the fritter batter for frying. 



40 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Cereals. 

In cooking cereals use plenty of water. 
Be careful to cook cereals thoroughly. Ce- 
reals should be cooked in a double boiler, to 
prevent scorching. 

Avena or Relied Oats. — Put one and 

one-half cups of boiling salted water into 
the top of a double boiler. Remove any 
black specks found in the oatmeal, and stir 
one-half cup of the meal into the water. 
Cover and cook from thirty minutes to one 
hour. Serve with milk or cream and sugar. 
Baked or steamed apples and other fruits 
are sometimes served with oatmeal. 

Scotch Oatmeal. — Pick over a cup of 
coarse oatmeal and put it, with one teaspoon- 
ful salt and five cups boiling water, into a 
two quart covered boiler or pail. Set it on 
a stand in large kettle of boiling water and let 
it boil slowly &L day or all night. This 
makes a jelly-like mass with a rich flavor. 
Do not stir, as stirring makes it ropy. 

Wheatlet. — Pick over the wheat. Put 
it, wich salt and six cups boiling water, into 
the top of a double boiler. It may cook 
from thirty minutes to two hours. 

Cornmeal Mush. — Add salt to a cup of 
cornmeal and mix one cup cold water grad- 
ually to make a smooth paste. Pour it into 
a pint of boiling water and cook in a double 
boiler from three to five hours. Serve with 
milk or cream. 

Cold mush may be cut in slices one-half 
inch thick and fried a delicate brown . Serve 
with syrup. 

Rice. — Take one-half cup of rice and 
pick out the specks. Wash and rub it with 
the hands in two or three waters to make it 
white. Then dry it in a clean cloth. Put 
it, with one and one-quarter cups boiling 
water and salt, into the top of a double boiler 
and cook from thirty minutes to one hour, 
until perfectly soft. If it becomes dry in 
cooking, add one tablespoonful hot water 
occasionally. A few raisins, seeded and cut 
into small pieces, may be cooked with the 
rice to flavor it. If the rice is cooked in 
milk instead of water, one and one-half cups 
hot milk to one half cup rice will be a good 
proportion. When the rice is done, press it 

R Pros 



56 



into small cups, let it cool two or three 
minutes, and turn the shapes out on a pretty 
dish. Serve hot with sugar and milk. 

Boiled Hominy. — Soak over night ; put 
in pot with two quarts water to a quart of 
hominy ; boil slowly for three hours, or till 
soft. Drain in a colander, and stir in but- 
ter, pepper, and salt. There are two grades 
of hominy, the large and the small grained- 
The latter may be boiled till as thick as 
mush, and eaten as a breakfast dish with 
sugar and cream. 

Fried Hominy. — Cut into slices cold 
boiled hominy, and fry in hot lard, or moisten 
with milk to a soft paste ; add melted butter, 
and a beaten ^%Z'' "^^^^ form into round cakes 
Dredge with flour and fry a light brown. 

Cakes and Cake=Making. 

General Directions for Making Cakes. 

— For cakes which contain butter, cream 
the butter, warm slightly if hard, add sugar 
gradually, and beat. When smooth add 
the yolks of eggs or whole eggs (beaten 
light) and the milk. Then sift in the flour, 
which has been mixed with the baking 
powder and spices. When the yolks and 
whites are beaten separately, the whites are 
usually added last. 

A cake can be made fine-grained by long 
beating ; light and delicate with a small 
amount of beating. Never stir cake after 
the final beating. For cakes which do not 
contain butter, separate the whites and yolks 
of eggs. Beat the yolks until thick, add 
sugar gradually, and continue beating ; add 
flavoring. Beat whites until stiff and dry 
and add to mixture. 

Sift the flour with the salt and cut and 
fold in lightly at the last. Do not beat 
mixture after flour is added, if baking pow- 
der is not used. 

Light Cake. — Cream one cup of butter, 
and work in gradually one and one-half 
cups of sugar. Separate three eggs, beat 
the 3'olks, pour in one-half cup of milk, and 
add to the creamed butter. Sift with three 
cups of flour two teaspoonfuls baking pow- 
der and add to mixture. Beat well to make 
a smooth batter. Beat the whites until stiflF 
and fold lightly into the batter. One cnp 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



41 



ljurrants or nuts, well flavored, may be 
added. Bake in round, shallow pans ; put 
the cakes together with jelly between. 

Sponge Cake. — Three eggs, one and 
one-half cups flour, one and one-half cups 
sugar, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, two 
teaspoonfuls vanilla or lemon, one-half cup 
boiling water. Beat the whites and yolks 
separately until light, then put together and 
•beat again, sift in sugar, a little at a time, 
add flavoring, flour and baking powder, 
beat all together, last stir in hot water, bake 
in two layers, and ice. 

Pound Cake. — Take one pound each of 
flour, sugar, and eggs, three-quarters pound 
of butter, one nutmeg, one teaspoonful of 
mace. Cream half the flour with the butter, 
add spice. Beat the yolks of the eggs and 
add the sugar, then add the beaten whites 
and the remaining flour. When this is done 
mix all thoroughly, beating for half an hour. 
This, if properly baked, makes an excellent 
cake. 

Gold Cake. — Take one-half pound of pul- 
verized sugar, one-quarter pound of butter, 
one half pound of flour, one-half cup of 
milk, the yolks of six eggs, a half teaspoon- 
ful of soda and one of cream of tartar, and 
the rind of one lemon. Mix thoroughly. 

Silver Cake. — Take same materials as 
aoove, except that the whites, instead of the 
yolks, of six eggs are used. Mix the soda 
and cream of tartar with the flour. Flavor 
with oil of bitter almonds instead of lemon 
rind. Bake gold and silver cake in tins of 
same size, and lay in alternate slices in the 
cake basket. 

Angel Food Cake. — Whites of eleven 
eggs, one and one-eighth cups of sifted 
granulated sugar, one cup sifted flour, one 
teaspoonful vanilla, or almond flavoring, 
one teaspoonful of cream tartar, sift flour 
^nd cream tartar together several times ; 
beat eggs to a stiff froth on a platter, add 
the sugar lightly, then the flour gently, 
then the flavoring. Do not stop a moment 
before putting it in pan. Bake in a moder- 
ate oven forty minutes. Do not grease pan, 
but put several layers of paper in the bot- 
tom. When done invert pan and do not 
take out until cool. Use plain white icing, 



Lemon Cake. — Two cups sugar, one 
cup butter, one cup sweet milk, three cups 
flour, whites of four eggs, one lemon, grated 
rind and juice, three teaspoonfuls baking 
powder ; beat the eggs to a stiff" froth and add 
after the batter has been mixed ; bake in 
jelly pans, put icing between. 

Lemon Jelly Cake. — One and one-half 
cups sugar, one- half cup butter, beat to a 
cream, one-half cup milk, two and one-half 
cups flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
three eggs, well beaten, bake in layers. 
Jelly : One cup sugar, one ^z%, the juice 
and grated rind of one lemon, one table- 
spoonful water, one teaspoonful flour, place 
dish in a pan of boiling water and let 
thicken, when cool spread between layers. 

riountain Cake. — Two cups sugar, one- 
half cup butter, two eggs beaten togethei 
until light, three cups flour, one cup sweet 
milk, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, bake 
in layers. Icing: White of one ^z%^ beaten 
stiff, seven teaspoonfuls pulverized sugar. 

White riountian Cake. — One cup sugar, 
one-half cup butter, one-half cup sweet milk, 
one-half cup corn starch, one cup flour, 
whites of six eggs, half teaspoonful vanilla, 
two teaspoonfuls baking powder. Bake in 
layers. Icing: Whites of two eggs, twenty 
teaspoonfuls sifted sugar, beaten very light, 
half teaspoonful vanilla. Spread between 
layers on the outside. 

Chocolate Cake. — One-fourth cake of 
chocolate, one- fourth cup sweet milk, one- 
half cup sugar ; cook this together, and when 
hot add the beaten yolks of two eggs . Flavc' 
with vanilla, and set aside to cool. Take 
one ^%%-, one-half cup sugar, one-half cup 
butter, one-half cup sweet milk, one and a 
half cups flour, one-half teaspoonful soda 
dissolved in the milk ; when the other mix- 
ture is cool stir the two together. Bake in 
layers, and put cooked icing between. 

Marble Chocolate Cake. — Two cups 
sugar, three fourths cup butter, three cups 
flour, one cup milk, four well-beaten eggs, 
two teaspoonfuls baking powder. Take one 
cup of this batter and mix with four table- 
spoonfuls of chocolate, dissolved in a little 
cream. Cover the bottom of the pan with 
white batter, and drop a spoonful of the 



57 



42 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



chocolate mixture upon it in places, which 
will form rings ; then another layer of white 
and dark until all is used. Bake in a mod- 
erate oven. 

Cocoanut Cake. — Two cups sifted gran- 
ulated sugar, three- fourths cup butter, beaten 
to a cream, one cup sweet milk, whites of 
seven eggs, two heaping cups flour, one and 
one-half teaspoonfuls baking powder, one 
cup corn starch. Filling: Two cups sugar, 
one-half cup cold water. Boil together and 
stir into the well-beaten whites of the eggs. 
Beat until cold, then spread on each layer, 
and sprinkle each with grated cocoanut. 

Cream Cake. — One cup sugar, one and 
one-half cups flour, two teaspoonfuls baking 
powder. Beat two eggs until very light, 
put in cup and fill up with cream. Bake in 
layers in a quick oven. Filling: One-half 
cup sugar, one ^%%, one tab.espoonful flour, 
one pint milk, small tablespoonful butter. 
Boil gently for a few minutes, flavor after 
removing from the stove. 

Ice Cream Cake. — One cup butter, beat- 
en to a cream, two cups pmverized sugar. 
Mix sugar and butter and beat until light, 
add one cup sweet milk, three full cups 
flour, and three teaspoonfuls baking powder; 
lastly add the whites of eight eggs, well 
beaten. Bake in layers. 

Almond Cake. — Whites of five eggs, two 
coffee-cups " A " sugar, one cup sweet milk, 
two-thirds cup of butter, three cups flour, 
two teaspoonfuls baking powder, \)ne tea- 
spoonful lemon extract. Cream, butter and 
sugar together, add milk, flour, well-beaten 
whites of eggs, then the baking powder. 
Bake in three layers. Filling : White of 
one egg beaten stiff, one cup of sugar, one- 
fburth cup water. Boil water and sugar 
until it is brittle, when drop in cold water. 
Pour over the ^^^ and beat well, add one- 
half pound of blanched and chopped al- 
monds, flavored if desired. Then spread 
between layers. 

Fruit Cake. — Four eggs, one cup sugar, 
two cups molasses, one and one-half cups 
butter, one-half cup milk, one teaspoonful 
soda, one pound of raisins, one pound of 
currants, one-half pound of citron, sliced 
fine, one teaspoonful cinnamon, one nutmeg, 



58 



one teaspoonful cloves, five cups flour. Bake 
two and one-half hours, in a slow oven. 

Fruit Cake. — One pound sugar, one 
pound butter, one pound flour, ten eggs, 
one pound raisins, one-half pound currants, 
one-fourth pound citron, one nutmeg, one 
tablespoonful cinnamon, one tablespoonful 
ginger and allspice mixed, one tablespoon- 
ful vinegar, one teaspoonful soda. Bake 
slowly. 

Boiled Frosting — Take one cup granu- 
lated sugar, one-half cup water, one-eighth 
teaspoonful cream of tartar, mix together 
and cook without stirring until the liquid, 
when dropped from a spoon, will thread. 
Beat the whites of two eggs. Remove the 
mixture from the fire, and when cool pour it 
slowly upon the whites of eggs, beating all 
the while. Continue beating until the mix- 
ture is a thick, creamy mass : then spread it 
over the cake. 

Egg Frosting. — Beat the white of an 
^%^ until light. Then beat into it, gradu- 
ally, enough powdered sugar to make a soft 
dough. Add one-quarter teaspoonful lemon 
extract, or one teaspoonful lemon or orange 
juice, or one-quarter teaspoonful vanilla, 
and spread it on the cake. 

One tablespoonful melted chocolate, or 
one tablespoonful desiccated cocoanut may 
be mixed with it. The yolk of the ^^^ may 
be used instead of the white to make Sun- 
shine Frosting. 

Plain Frosting. — Mix one cup sugar 
and a tablespoonful lemon or orange juice ; 
stir in enough boiling milk or water to make 
a soft dough. Spread it over the cake. 
This may be varied by adding difi'erent in- 
gredients as in the preceding recipes. 

Chocolate Filling. — Beat together the 
yolks of two eggs, one-half cup cream, one- 
half cup sugar, two sections of a cake of 
chocolate ; put in saucepan and boil until 
thick enough to spread. 

Cream Filling. — One pint of sweet 
cream beaten until it looks like ice-cream ; 
add one cup sugar, flavor with vanilla ; 
blanch and chop one pound of almonds, stir in 
cream and spread very thick between layers. 

Soft Gingerbread. — One-half cup of 
lard, one cup each of milk and sugar, two 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



43 



of molasses, one teaspoonful soda, two 
tablespoonfuls cinnamon, and one of ginger. 
Stir butter, sugar, molasses and spice to- 
gether, add the milk and soda, and, lastly, 
about five cups of flour. Beat hard, and 
bake into a loaf, or in small tins. Some 
seeded raisins will improve. Add these last. 

Ginger Crackers. — Take one pint mo- 
lasses, one cup of shortening, and one of 
sugar, with ginger and cinnamon to taste. 
Add flour enough to make a soft dough. 
Roll very thin, cut into small cakes, and 
bake in a quick oven. For plain cookies 
use only one-half cup shortening. 

Ginger Snaps. — One cup each of sugar, 
molasses and lard, one ^zZ-> one tablespoon- 
ful ginger, one tablespoonful vinegar, dis- 
solving in the vinegar one teaspoonful soda. 
Use no milk or water. Mix in seven cups 
flour and knead. Roll out in any shape 
desired and bake in quick oven. 

Risen Doughnuts. — Take a pint of boil- 
ing milk, two cups of sugar, one-half cup 
of butter, a half pint of yeast, and two eggs. 
Beat together the eggs, butter and sugar, 
and then pour in the milk. Let it rise three 
times, the last rising after they are cut out. 
Fry in smoking-h6t lard. Sift with pow- 
dered sugar while hot. 

Crullers. — Cream one tablespoonful of 
butter, work in a teaspoonful of cinnamon , 
beat the yolks and whites of two eggs sepa- 
rately, then together, and stir into the bat- 
ter. Sift two-thirds cup sugar and one tea- 
spoonful baking powder with two cups flour, 
add to the eggs and butter, mix well, and 
stir in gradually one-quarter to one-half cup 
milk. Roll out, cut in rounds, with a small 
round out of the centre of each ; fry in deep, 
hot fat, turning as the sides are browned. 
Lift from the fat with a wire frying-spoon, 
and lay on brown paper to drain. 

Jumbles, — Mix one pound each flour 
and granulated sugar and one grated nut- 
meg. Put in one pound butter, and stir in 
two beaten eggs. Sift granulated sugar on 
a board, lay the dough on it, roll out one- 
third inch thick, cut out with a round cut- 
ter, and cut out a circle in the centre. Bake 
in a buttered pan, in a moderately hot oven, 
from ten to twenty minutes. 



Cocoanut Jumbles. — Grate one cocoa- 
nut. Rub one-half pound butter and sifted 
sugar together. Mix with one pound of 
sifted flour and three well -beaten eggs, with 
a little rose water. Mix the cocoanut grad- 
ually, so as to make a stiff dough. Bake in 
a quick oven, placing the batter in small 
particles in tin pans, or on greased paper. 

Sugar Cookies.^Cream one cup sugar 
and one-half cup butter, beat one ^^% and 
add it with one-quarter cup milk. Sift in 
one teaspoonful baking powder with one cup 
of flour. Flavor with one-quarter teaspoon- 
ful lemon or vanilla. Stir in more flour to 
make a dough stiff enough to handle. Roll 
out on a floured board until one-quarter 
inch thick . Bake from ten to fifteen minutes . 

Lemon Crackers. — Two and one-half 
cups soft sugar, one cup lard, one pint 
sweet milk, two eggs, five cents' worth bak- 
ing ammonia, two cents' worth lemon oil. 
Dissolve ammonia in the milk, or in a little ' 
hot water, make dough as stiff as for pies, 
and roll very thin, cut with square cake cut- 
ter, prick with fork, and bake in hot oven. 

Cracknells. — To one pint rich milk add 
two ounces butter and one tablespoonful 
yeast, make it warm, and mix enough flour 
to make a light dough. Roll thin and cut 
in any shape desired, prick well with fork, 
and bake in slow oven, allowing to rise as 
they bake. 

Chocolate Drops. — One-half cake grated 
chocolate, one pound sugar, four eggs, one 
lemon, one tablespoonful baking powder, 
one tablespoonful cinnamon, flour enough to 
roll, cut out, place on greased pan and bake. 

Swiss Puffs. — Two eggs, beat light, a 
pinch of salt in flour enough to make stifi" 
dough, take out small bits, roll very thin 
and cut in strips, twist and join the ends 
together. Fry in hot lard, lift with fork, and 
let drain. Sprinkle with pulverized sugar. 

Cream Puffs. — Melt one-half cup but- 
ter in one cup boiling water, stir in one cup 
flour, take off stove and beat thoroughly and 
let it cool. Stir in three eggs, one at a time 
without beating, mix thoroughly and drop 
a heaping teaspoonful in greased pans, two 
or three inches apart, and bake in a moderate 



59 



44 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



oven twenty-five or thirty minutes, or until 
none ; if not done they will fall. When 
cold cut open near the top and fill with cus- 
tard cream. Cream: — Two-thirds pint 
sweet milk, four tablespoonfuls sugar, one 
^ZZ^ two tablespoonfuls flour, wet in a little 
milk. Mix all together and boil until it 
thickens, add one teaspoonful vanilla, and 
let cool a little, then fill pufis. 

Hickory nut Snaps — Three cups chopped 
nuts, one pound sugar, one teaspoonful cin- 
namon, three eggs, one tablespoonful baking 
powder, two cups flour. Mix well, drop 
from teaspoon on greased pan, and bake a 
light brown. 

Tea Cake. — Two well-beaten eggs, two 
cups sugar, two-thirds cup butter, one tea- 
spoonful flavoring, five pints flour, with two 
heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder, mixed 
into it. Mix thoroughly and add one-half 
cup sweet milk, or one cup sour cream, 
beaten to a foam with soda. Take upon the 
bread board and mix stiff. Bake in hot oven. 

Custards and Creams. 

Cup Custard. — Scald one pint milk. 
Beat two eggs, add the milk, sprinkle of 
salt and two tablespoonfuls sugar, and stir 
until the sugar dissolves. If desired, a 
little nutmeg may be added. Pour into 
cups, stand the cups in a pan of boiling 
water, put the pan in the oven and bake 
until the custards are firm in the centre. 

To make a bread-and-butter pudding, 
pour the custard into a pudding-dish and 
place buttered slices of bread on top of the 
custard. Stand the pudding-dish in a pan 
of boiling water and bake in the oven. 

To test baked custard. Put a knife in 
the centre ; if it comes out without ^%% or 
milk on it the custard is cooked. Over- 
cooking will curdle it. 

Steamed Custard. — Scald one pint 
milk. Mix one teaspoonful cocoa with a 
little cold milk and stir into the hot milk. 
Boil one minute. Separate two eggs, keep- 
ing the whites in a cool place. Beat the two 
yolks and one whole 0.%% together, add salt 
and three tablespoonfuls sugar, and stir into 
the hot milk. If liquid flavoring, instead of 



cocoa, is used, add it last, and pour the mix- 
ture into a pudding-dish o*" into cups. Set 
it into a pan of hot water or into a steamer 
over a kettle of boiling water until the cus- 
tard is solid. Just before meal time beat 
the two whites of eggs stifi", add half table- 
spoonful sugar and half tablespoonful red 
jelly or jam, and drop by spoonfuls on the 
custard for a meringue or float. 

Snow Custard. — Take one quart ol 
milk, sweeten and flavor with lemon and 
vanilla. Bring the milk to a boil, and lay 
on top the whites of five eggs beaten to a 
froth. When the whites have cooked 
slightly, remove and lay on a dish. Then 
add the boiling milk to the beaten yolks, 
stirring constantly, and put on the fire until 
near boiling. Then remove it, and lay the 
whites carefully on top. 

Floating Island. — Scald one pint milk. 
Separate three eggs. Add salt and two 
tablespoonfuls sugar to the yolk and beat. 
Beat the whites until very stifi", add one 
teaspoonful powdered sugar to them, beat 
slightly, and drop spoonfuls of the stiff 
whites on top of the scalded milk. Let 
them cook two or three minutes, until firm, 
lift cut on a plate, and pour the scalded 
milk oj. the beaten yolks. Put this mixture 
into a double boiler, and stir until it thick- 
ens. Pour it into a china or glass dish. 
When nearly cool, stir in the flavoring, put 
the whites on the top, and serve cold, as a 
pudding. A pretty way to serve it is to put 
specks of jellj' on the tops of the whites. 

To make cocoanut or chocolate custard, 
cook two tablespoonfuls cocoanut or one- 
half tablespoonful melted chocolate in the 
scalded milk. 

Tapioca Custard. — Soak three heaping 
teaspoonfuls of tapioca over night. Place 
over fire one quart milk, let come to a boil, 
then stir in tapioca, pinch of salt ; one cup 
sugar and beaten yolks of three eggs. Stii 
quickly and place in dish. Place on top 
the whites of three eggs well beaten. Set 
on ice. 

Small Custard. — Beat one egg, one 
heaping teaspoonful sugar ; one-half pint 
milk. Put in cup, set in vessel of boiling 
water and bake. 



60 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



45 



Baked Custard. — Four well-beaten 
eggs, one-half cup of sugar, one and one- 
naif pints milk ; flavor with nutmeg. Bake 
from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, 
according to temperature of oven. If baked 
too long it will be watery. As soon as it 
solid clear through it is done. Set baking- 
dish in a pan of water while baking. 

Peach Cream. — To one quart of ripe 
peaches, peeled and rubbed through sieve, 
add whites of two eggs, one cup granulated 
sugar. Beat together until a stiff cream is 
formed. Serve cold. 

Banana Cream. — After peeling the 
bananas, mash fine with a spoon, then 
allow equal parts of bananas and sweet 
cream. To one quart of the mixture add 
one-fourth pound sugar. Beat all together 
until the cream is light. 

Spanish Cream. — Scald three cups milk 
with one-quarter box gelatine, add one- 
half cup sugar, and pour on yolks of three 
eggs slightly beaten. Cook until thick, 
stirring constantly ; remove from heat, add 
salt, one teaspoonful vanilla, and whites of 
eggs beaten stiff. Pour into mold wet with 
cold water. 

Apple Snow. — Peel and grate one large 
sour apple, sprinkling over it a small cup 
of powdered sugar as you grate it, to keep 
it from turning dark ; break into this the 
whites of two eggs, and beat it all con- 
stantly for half an hour ; take care to have 
it in a large vessel, as it beats up very stiff 
and light ; heap in a glass dish and pour a 
fine, smooth custard around it and serve. 
A very delicate dessert. 

Raspberry Float. — Crush one pint ripe 
red raspberries with gill of sugar. Beat 
whites of four eggs to stiff froth and add 
gradually a gill of powdered sugar. Press 
raspberries through fine strainer to remove 
seeds, and by degrees beat in juice, ^^^ 
and sugar until so stiff that it will stand 
in pyramids. 

Lemon Jelly. — Take one ounce gela- 
tine, cover with one pint cold water, let 
stand for one hour. Add one pint of hot 
water and juice of three lemons ; sweeten to 
taste and let boil ; strain and set away to cool. 



6i 



For orange jelly, omit the lemon juicC;, 
slice four oranges, and place in a glass jar. 
Pour gelatine over and eat cold. 

Strawberry Charlotte. — Make boiled 
custard of one quart of milk, yolks of three 
eggs, three-fourths cup sugar. Place in 
fruit dish, pieces of cake dipped in sweet 
cream, lay upon this ripe strawberries 
sweetened to taste, and alternate layers of 
cake and berries. When the custard is cold 
pour over it cake and berries. Beat whites 
of eggs to stiff froth, add three tablespoon- 
fuls of sugar and place on top of custard. 

Tapioca Cream. — Soak over night two 
tablespoonfuls tapioca in one-half teacup 
milk (or enough to cover), bring one quart 
milk to boiling point. Beat well together 
the yolks of three eggs, one-half cup sugar, 
one teaspoonful vanilla or lemon for flavor 
ing. Add tapioca and stir the whole into 
boiling milk, let boil, turn into dish, and 
immediately turn on the well-beaten whites. 
Serve cold. 



Puddings and Sauces. 

Cabinet Pudding. — Cream together a 
quarter pound butter and a pound and a half 
of sugar. Add the beaten yolks of five 
eggs, and a half pound of flour moistened 
with a cup of milk, alternately with the 
whites. Add lastly a half pound seeded and 
cut raisins, a quarter pound currants, and 
the juice and grated rind of half a lemon, 
well dredged with flour. Cook for two and 
a half hours in a buttered mold. Serve hot 
with cabinet-pudding sauce. 

This sauce is made as follows : Rub 
together a cup of sugar and a tablespoonful 
of butter, add the well-beaten yolks of four 
eggs, the juice and half the grated peel of a 
lemon, and a teaspoonful of cinnamon. 
Beat ten minutes, add a glass of wine, and 
stir hard. Set in boiling water and beat 
while heating, but do not let it boil. 

Cottage Pudding. — Rub together a cup 
of sugar and a tablespoonful of butter. 
Beat in the yolks of two eggs, then add a 
cup of milk, a teaspoonful of salt, half one 
of soda, and the beaten whites, and enough 
of flour to make a moderately thick batter, 



46 



THE MODEL COOK BOOh 



To the flour add a teaspoonful of cream of 
tartar. Bake in a buttered mold, cut in 
slices, and eat with sauce. 

Bread Crumb Pudding. — Take one 
cup bread crumbs and half cup sugar, put 
them into a pint of scalded milk, add two 
tablespoonfuls butter, the rind and half the 
juice of a lemon. Beat the yolks of two 
eggs and stir the mixture into them. Bake 
in a buttered dish about thirty minutes, or 
until thick and brown. Cool and spread a 
meringue of the beaten whites, half cup pul- 
verized sugar and the remainder of the 
lemon juice on the top. Brown in the oven 
and serve hot or cold. 

Bread=and=Butter Pudding. — Cut thin 
slices of stale bread, butter thickly and 
sprinkle with sugar. Fit neatly into a but- 
tered pudding dish until half full. Lay on 
top a plate to keep them from floating, and 
pour in a custard made of three cups of hot 
milk, four beaten eggs, and nearly a cup of 
"iugar. Season with vanilla and nutmeg. 
i,et soak for fifteen minutes, then remove 
the plate and put in the oven. If the' bread 
still inclines to float, hold it down with a 
fork until the custard thickens. Eat cold. 
L,ayers of currants improve this. 

Rice Pudding. — Wash a cup of rice and 
soak for two hours in a pint of milk. Then 
add three pints of milk, a spoonful of salt, 
butter of the size of an ^^^ melted, and 
flavor with nutmeg and cinnamon. Bake 
two hours. 

Bag Pudding. — 'Take one cup each of 
milk, syrup molasses, and finely chopped 
suet, half a pound of currants, and three 
cups of flour. Mix thoroughly, add a tea- 
spoonful each, of soda and ginger. Pour 
into your pudding-bag, tie closely, and boil 
for two hours. 

Tapioca Pudding. — Add to three pints 
of milk eight large tablespoonfuls tapioca. 
Warm, and let soak until soft. Then stir, 
and mix in two teaspoonfuls melted butter, 
four beaten eggs, four spoonfuls sugar, one 
glass wine, a grated nutmeg and the rind of 
a lemon. Bake immediately. 

Block Pudding. — Take three cups flour, 
one cup each of molasses, sweet milk, and 
finely chopped suet a teaspoonful each of 



62 



cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and a half 
pound of raisins. Stir well together, boil 
for four hours, and serve with sauce. 

Baked Indian Pudding. — Mix together 
half cup corn meal, quarter cup flour, one 
^SS> quarter cup New Orleans molasses, 
with a little salt, ginger and cinnamon. 
Stir these into three cups of hot milk. Bake 
in a moderate oven. When the top begins 
to brown pour a little cold milk over it and 
cover it. Bake four to five hours, putting 
cold milk on the top every hour. Serve 
with hard sauce or with cream and sugar. 

5uet Pudding. — Three cups flour, one 
cup chopped suet, one heaping cup chopped 
raisins, one teaspoonful salt, two teaspoon- 
fuls baking powder ; mix one cup flour while 
chopping raisins, then suet and baking 
powder, then the other cup flour, water 
enough to finish mixing ; put in a sack, 
boil two or three hours. Sauce : — Table- 
spoonful flour, butter size of one-half ^%%, 
one-half teacup sugar, nutmeg and vinegar 
to taste, one pint of water, boil all together. 

Batter Pudding. — One pint milk, four 
tablespoonfuls flour, pinch of salt. Scald 
the milk, taking out some to smooth tht 
flour, then stir into the milk until it thickens 
and stand away to cool. At noon beat the 
5'^olks of five eggs and stir in, then the 
whites well beaten and bake twenty or thirty 
minutes. Serve while hot. Sauce: — Cream, 
one cup sugar, one tablespoonful butter, add 
flavoring and one-half pint of whipped 
cream. 

Chocolate Pudding.— One quart sweet 
milk, one small cup of sugar, two well- 
beaten eggs, six tablespoonfuls grated choco- 
late, two heaping tablespoonfuls corn starch, 
dissolved in a little cold milk, a small piece 
of butter. Let boil a few minutes, stirring 
constantly. To be served with whipped 
cream, or sugar and cream. 

Cottage Pudding. — One cup milk, one- 
half cup sugar, one ^^Z-< ^wo tablespoonfuls 
melted butter, one teaspoonful baking 
powder, sifted with one pint of flour. Bake 
half hour and serve with liquid sauce. 
Sauce : — Two tablespoonfuls flour, one cup 
sugar, teaspoonful vanilla, tablespoonful of 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



47 



butter ; mix these with one tablespoonful of 
cold water, put in sauce-pan and pour slowly 
in a little less than a pint of boiling water. 

New Century Pudding. — Take one cup 
each of suet, sugar, currants, raisins and 
milk, add three cups of flour. Shred and 
chop fine the suet and prepare the fruit. 
Beat together until light the suet and sugar 
and the yolks of two eggs ; add the milk 
and flour ; beat until smooth ; add the 
beaten whites of the eggs, a teaspoonful 
each cinnamon and a little salt, and a tea- 
spoonful baking powder. Mix well, flour 
the fruit and add ; turn into a greased mold 
and boil for three hours. Serve hot, with 
wine or hard sauce. 

Cream Pudding. — Stir together one 
pint of cream, three ounces sugar, yolks of 
three eggs, a little grated nutmeg, add the 
well-beaten whites, stirring lightly, pour 
into a buttered pie plate on which has been 
sprinkled crumbs of stale bread to the thick- 
ness of an ordinary crust, sprinkle over the 
top a layer of breadcrumbs and bake. 

Cocoanut Pudding. — One pint sweet 
milk, one-half cup sugar ; let milk come to 
boil (in custard kettle), add sugar, four 
tablespoonfuls of corn starch dissolved in 
cold milk, two cups grated cocoanut (less 
will do), stir well, cook until it thickens, 
remove from fire, gently beat in the whites 
of four eggs well beaten, one-fourth tea- 
spoonful of lemon and vanilla each. Pour 
in molds and serve with v/hipped cream 
when cold, or pour half in mold, add a few 
drops of red fruit coloring to the remaining 
half and pour on top, or flavor part with 
two spoonfuls of melted chocolate. 

Cup Pudding. — Make a batter as for 
waffles ; to one pint of milk allow two eggs 
and enough flour to thicken, one teaspoon- 
ful baking powder, stirred in the flour. 
Butter a sufficient number of teacups and 
fill with this and fruits in layers. Set cups 
in a steamer, boil water underneath for 
one hour. Serve while hot with sugar and 
cream. Any jam or raw apples chopped 
fine is nice with this. 

Lemon Pudding.— The juice and grated 
rind of one lemon, one cup sugar, yolks of 
two eggs, three tablespoonfuls corn starch, 



63 



a pinch of salt, one pint sweet milk ; mix 
corn starch and part of milk to a smooth 
paste, add lemon and sugar, &^^ well beaten 
and the rest of the milk. Line a jelly tin 
with a rich puff paste one-fourth inch thick, 
pour custard in, and bake until done; beat 
whites to a stiff froth, with two tablespoon- 
fuls of sugar, spread over the top, return 
to oven and brown ; serve with whipped 
cream. This is a rich but not expensive 
pudding. 

Brown Betty. — Chop two cups of tart 
apples ; put a layer into a deep dish, but- 
tered ; sprinkle with sugar, and a little but- 
ter and cinnamon ; cover with breadcrumbs, 
and add more apple. Continue till the dish 
is full, add a thick layer of crumbs, cover 
closely, and steam for nearly an hour in 
a slow oven. Then uncover and brown 
quickly. Eat warm with sweet sauce, or 
sugar and cream. 

Cherry Roll. — Seed one quart fruit, 
sweeten to taste, let it simmer in its own 
juice until quite thick, pour one quart of 
milk over a loaf of grated bread, beat three 
eggs very light, and add the milk, with a 
little flour and large lump of butter melted. 
Put the cherries inside the batter and stir 
well . Steam in cups or baking powder cans 
two hours. 

Apple Roll. — One pint flour, one and 
one-half tablespoonfuls butter, pinch of salt, 
add water to make a soft dough, roll one- 
half inch thick ; chop two large apples fine, 
spread over the cake, roll up, fasten, place 
in pan to bake. Pour over this one and 
one-half pints of boiling water, one cup 
sugar, one-half cup butter. Cover pan, 
bake one hour, basting often with sauce. 
For small family use one-half of recipe. 

Apple Tapioca. — Pick over and wash 
three-quarters cup tapioca or sago and soak 
about one hour. Pour on a quart of hot 
water, cook till clear; stir often, add salt. 
Prepare and core six apples, slice or put 
them whole into a buttered baking-dish, 
sprinkle sugar and spice over them, and 
.turn in the tapioca. Bake till the apples 
are soft ; flavor with cinnamon and nutmeg. 
Serve with cream or milk and sugar. 
Peaches may be used instead of apples. 



♦8 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Pudding Sauce. — One cup boiling water, 
one tablespoonful corn starch, one-fourth 
cup butter, one cup sugar, one &g%, one- 
fourth nutmeg, one or two tablespoonfuls of 
jelly. Wet the corn starch in cold water, 
stir into boiling water, boil ten minutes. 
Rub butter and sugar to a cream, add the 
egg well beaten and nutmeg. Add jelly to 
the corn starch, and pour this in the ^^^ 
mixture, and stir rapidly until they are 
thoroughly blended. 

Lemon Sauce. — Mix one-half cup sugar 
and one tablespoonful corn starch ; add 
slowly one cup boiling water, stirring care- 
fully ; boil until transparent ; remove from 
fire. Add four tablespoonfuls of butter, 
two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, and a little 
nutmeg. 

Cold Cream Sauce. — Beat together one 
cup sugar and one half cup butter, and add 
a cup rich cream. Stir all to a cream ; 
flavor with vanilla or lemon, and let get 
very cold before serving. 

Plain Cream Sauce. — One pint cream, 
three ounces brown sugar, and half of a 
small nutmeg grated. 

Hard Sauce. — Cream one-half cup but- 
ter, Vork in one cup pulverized sugar grad- 
ually, and add two tablespoonfuls lemon 
juice or one tablespoonful lemon juice and 
one tablespoonful vanilla. Beat until foamy. 
Serve with hot pudding. 

Pies and Pastry. 

Pie=Crust. — One cup shortening, three 
cups flour, little salt, rub t'^e flour, short- 
ening and salt all well together. Use 
enough cold water to hold all together, no 
more. Handle as little as possible. Crust 
for one pie : — One coffee cup flour, lard 
size of an ^zZ-> one fourth teaspoonful salt, 
water just to wet the other ingredients. 

Puff Paste. — Take a pound of flour and 
three-quarters of a pound of butter. Chop 
half the butter into the flour. Beat the yolk 
of an &ZZ' s^'^ i^ '\\\\o half a cup of ice 
water, and with this work the flour into a 
stifi" dough. Roll ovit thin, add in bits one- 
third the remaining butter; fold, and roll 
out again, and continue till all the butter is 
used. Roll very thin, fold, and set in an 



64 



ice-cold place for a quarter hour. Then 
make your crust. This paste will serve 
both for fruit pies and for oyster pates. 

Short=Cake Paste. — Sift together two 
cups flour, half teaspoonful cream of tartar, 
and quarter teaspoonful each soda and salt, 
and rub in half cup of butter, keeping it as 
cold as possible. Stir in one cup of sweet 
milk to make a dough soft enough to handle. 
Turn it on a floured board ; divide the dough 
into halves and roll each piece out to fit a 
round tin plate. Bake at once, in a hot 
oven. When done, turn out each cake and 
lay it en the under side of the baking-tin. 
With a thin, sharp knife, split the cake 
evenly, and lay the bottom crust on a china 
plate. Butter each half. Lay partly 
mashed, sweetened strawberries, peaches, 
apple- sauce, stewed rhubarb, or any hot 
cooked fruit suitable for pies, on the under 
crust, lay the upper crust over it, and serve 
as a pie. Powdered sugar may be sifted 
over the top. Serve with cream. 

Apple Pie. — Pare, core, and slice tart 
apples, put a layer of fruit in your crust, 
sprinkle thickly with light brown sugar, add 
more apples, and go on till thick enough. 
Cover with top crust and bake. Sift pow- 
dered sugar over the top. 

Apple Custard Pie. — Take three cups 
stewed apples, which make very sweet with 
sugar, and let cool. Beat the yolks and 
whites of three eggs separately, and mix 
the yolks well with the apples, seasoning 
with nutmeg. Then stir in one quart of 
milk, beating as you do it. Lastly, add the 
whites, fill the crusts, and bake without 
top crust. 

Pumpkin Pie. — Take a quart of stewed 
pumpkin, which has been pressed through 
a sieve ; six eggs, yolks and whites beaten 
separately, two quarts milk, a cup or more 
of sugar, and mace, cinnamon and nutmeg 
for flavoring. Beat all well together, and 
bake without top crust. 

Lemon Pie. — Take the juice and grated 
rind of one lemon, one cup of white sugar, 
the yolks of two eggs,three tablespoonfuls of 
sifted flour and suflBcient milk to fill a plate. 
Bake v^^ithout an upper crust. Bake till 
nearly done and then add a frosting made of 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



49 



the beaten whites of two eggs, and two 
tablespoonfnls of powdered sugar, and set 
back in the oven to brown slightly. 

Cherry Pie. — I^ine the dish with crust ; 
fill with ripe cherries, sugared in accord- 
ance with their degree of sweetness ; cover 
and bake. Sift white sugar over the top. 
Fruit pies generally are made in the same 
way. They should be eaten cold. 

Mince Pie. — Take four pounds of meat 
(boiled lean beef) and apple — two-thirds 
Deing apple. Add half a pound of suet. 
Chop each separately, and when fine mix 
thoroughly. Then put in three pounds of 
chopped raisins and two of carefully picked 
currants, a teaspoonful each of cinnamon, 
nutmeg, cloves, and half a spoonful of mace, 
with brown sugar to make very sweet. Add 
three quarts cider. Mix thoroughly, cover 
closely, and let stand for a day before using. 
This will keep all winter, and may be used 
as wanted. The flavor is much improved if 
it is allowed to stand a week or so. Add 
one pint of brandy if desired. 

Cocoanut Pie. — One large cup of grated 
cocoanut, one quart of milk, the yolks of 
five eggs, a lump of butter the size of a 
hickory nut, sweeten to suit taste. Beat the 
whites of the eggs and spread over the pies 
after done, and return to oven and brown. 
This will make two pies. 

Custard Pie. — One-half cup sugar, one 
quart rich milk, two tablespoonfnls corn 
starch, yolks of four eggs. Put on stove 
and stir until thick. Beat whites of four 
eggs to stiff froth, add two tablespoonfuls 
sugar, spread on top, and brown. This will 
make two pies. 

Cream Pie. — One pint sweet milk, one 
tg'g beaten separately, one tablespoonful 
flour, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, lump of 
butter; flavor with lemon. Use white of 
^^^ for top. Cook in a kettle. Bake crust 
first. Put into crust, place white of egg on 
top. Place in oven to brown. This will 
make one pie. 

Ice Cream Pie, — One pint of cream, 
whites of two eggs, half cup sugar, teaspoon- 
ful vanilla. Beat eggs to stiff froth, add 
other ingredients, bake with one crust. 

25 ^ 65 



Strawberry Pie. — I,ine a deep pie pan 
with rich crust, and bake. Fill with the 
following : Whites of two eggs, half cup of 
sugar, one pint of fresh berries. Beat the 
whites to a stiff froth, and stir in sugar and 
berries. Bake slowly fifteen minutes. 

Pieplant Pie. — Mix half cup sugar with 
one heaping teaspoonful flour; sprinkle 
over the bottom crust, then add pieplant 
cut up fine ; sprinkle over this another half 
teacup sugar and heaping teaspoonful flour ; 
bake with upper crust fully three-quarters 
of an hour in slow oven. 

Pineapple Pie. — Five eggs, one cup 
sugar, one-half cup butter, one cup sweet 
cream, one pineapple grated. Beat the but- 
ter and sugar to a cream, add the beaten 
yolks of the eggs, then the pineapple and 
cream, and lastly the beaten whites whipped 
in lightly. Take each section out with a 
steel fork and cut off the blossom, then chop 
them up very fine, and add the grated core 
or heart. Bake them with an under crust 
only. 

Peach Pie. — Slice the peaches ; line a 
pie plate with crust and lay in fruit, sprink- 
ling with sugar. Ripe peaches need little. 
Add three chopped peach kernels to each 
pie ; add a little water. Bake with an upper 
crust, or with cross-bars of crust. 

Strawberry Short=Cake. — Take two 
cups flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, 
one- quarter teaspoonful salt. Sift into a 
bowl, rub in two tablespoonfuls butter, beat 
one ^gg-, mix it with one cup of milk, and 
stir it gradually into the flour to make a 
smooth dough. Spread it in a greased pan, 
anr' bake in a quick oven twenty or thirty 
minutes. When done turn it on a hot plate, 
split open quickly and butter it. Spread 
strawberries over the lower half, sprinkle 
sugar over the berries, and replace the upper 
half ; put another layer of strawberries and 
sugar on top. Serve cold or hot, with 
cream. Other berries, peaches or oranges 
may be used instead of the strawberries. 

Apple Dumplings (Boiled). — Make your 
crust of a quart of flour and a quarter pound 
of suet, with a teaspoonful each of salt and 
cream-of- tartar and half one of soda. Make 
into a tolerably thick paste with cold water. 



so 



THE MODEL COOft BOOK 



Roll, cut into squares, and put into each a 
pared and cored apple. The hole left by 
the core may be filled with marmalade, or 
with sugar moistened with lemon juice. 
Close the paste over your apple, tie the 
dumplings in cloths, and boil for an hour. 

Apple Dumplings (Baked). — Into one 
quart flour drop two tablespoonfuls of lard 
(or lard and butter mixed) and add two tea- 
spoonfuls cream-of- tartar. Then put in a 
teaspoonful of soda, and wet quickly with 
milk until stiff enough to roll into a paste 
half an inch thick. Cut into squares, lay in 
each a pared and cored tart apple, and close 
the paste around it. Lay in a buttered bak- 
ing pan and bake till finely browned. Then 
brush with a beaten &%%, and let glaze in the 
oven for a few minutes. Kat hot, with rich 
sweet sauce. 

Jellies, Jams, Etc. 

Apple Jelly. — Slice nice clean apples in 
preserving kettle with enough water to 
almost cover. When stewed soft, strain 
through the jelly bag. Measure juice and 
boil twenty minutes. Add two-thirds as 
much sugar as juice. Boil five or ten min- 
utes longer. Always boil jelly as fast as 
possible. 

Crab Apple Jelly. — Wash fruit clean, 
put in kettle, cover over with water and 
cook thoroughly. Pour into sieve and 
drain. Do not press it through. For each 
pint of juice allow one pound sugar. Boil 
twenty to thirty minutes. 

Blackberry Jelly.— Wash berries and 
put in porcelain kettle with enough water 
to keep them from sticking. Cook a few 
minutes, then drain through jelly bag. To 
one pint of sugar add two pints of juice. 
Boil until it jellies. 

Quince Jelly. — Wash, core and slice in 
small pieces. Stew in plenty of water until 
fruit is soft and juice is rich. Pour all juice 
off; for jelly use one pint of juice and one 
pint of sugar. Boil until it jellies. 

Currant Jelly.— Wash the fruit in a 
stone jar, squeeze through a flannel bag, 
then strain without squeezing to obtain a 
clear liquid. Boil briskly in porcelain-lined 
kettle for twenty minutes, then stir in heated 



66 



sugar; skim, boil two minutes longer; 
warm your tumblers and fill with the hot 
liquid ; stand it away twenty- four hours to 
jelly. If not done then, cover the tumblers 
with window glass and let stand several 
days in the sun. 

Grape Jelly. — Take grapes just turning 
ripe, wash, put in granite kettle with very 
little if any water, let simmer for one hour. 
Then mash, strain through flannel bag, let 
come to a boil. While this is heating put 
sugar in moderateoven. ("A" sugar is best.) 
For two cups juice take one cup of sugar; 
let boil for five minutes, then simmer ten 
minutes more. Strain again through another 
flannel bag into glasses. Do not make 
more than three glasses at once. 

Calf's Foot Jelly. — Clean four calves' 
feet, put in a kettle of cold water and let 
simmer for eight hours ; reducing from six 
to two quarts. Strain the liquid and let 
stand till next day. Next remove all fat 
from the surface and sediment from the bot- 
tom. Put in a kettle over the fire; add 
cinnamon and sugar, the juice oi four 
lemons, tv/o oranges, and the whites of two 
eggs slightly beaten. Mix well, boil hard 
for twenty minutes ; throw in a gill of cold 
water, let boil again, then cover and stand 
at side of range for twenty minutes. Next 
pour into a flannel jelly bag, warmed, and 
let drip into a bowl. Do not squeeze or 
touch the bag. Turn into molds and stand 
in a cold place. If you desire, a half pint of 
sherry wine may be added before putting it 
into the molds. 

Cider Apple Butter. — Boil one barrel of 
new cider down half, peel and core three 
bushels of good cooking apples. When 
cider has boiled to half the quantity add the 
apples and continue to cook. 

Peach Butter. — Cook peaches until they 
will mash easily, run through a sieve : add 
pound for pound of sugar and peaches, stir 
until well cooked. 

Tomato Butter. — Scald and remove skin 
from nice sized tomatoes, slice and mash fine, 
to each quart of tomatoes add a quart of 
granulated sugar ; let cook fast, stir until 
done. 

Lemon Butter. — Grate the rinds of 
three lemons, and add the juice. Beat 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Si 



together two cups sugar and three eggs, and 
add one teaspoonful butter. Stir all together 
and boil to the consistency of strained honey. 

Strawberry Jam. — Take a quart of 
berries, mash with a potato masher, add 
one pint granulated sugar, and cook fast, 
stirring constantly, until of the desired con- 
sistency. 

Raspberry Jam. — To five pounds red 
berries add an equal quantity of granulated 
sugar. Mash the berries in a kettle, put in 
the sugar, let boil until it jellies upon a cold 
plate. 

Pineapple Preserves. — Pare, slice pine- 
apples ; to every pound of fruit add one 
pound of sugar ; place in jars a layer of 
apple, then of sugar ; let stand over night ; 
take juice off of the fruit and boil until it 
thickens ; pour in the fruit and boil fifteen 
minutes ; take apples out of syrup to cool ; 
then put in jar and pour syrup over and 
seal. 

Quince Marmalade. — Stew as many 
apples as you wish to put with your quinces, 
and strain the juice as for jelly. Pare and 
core the quinces, put in a bowl and chop as 
fine as desired ; put in a vessel and cover 
with the apple juice, add a little water if 
necessary, and cook until the fruit is tender. 
Skim the fruit out carefully, strain and 
measure the juice ; add sugar as for jelly, 
and boil until almost jellied. Drop in the 
fruit and cook until it begins to jelly. Put 
in jelly glasses. 

Preserved Strawberries. — One large 
cup of sugar to one pint of berries. Add 
enough water to dissolve sugar, and boil to 
a thick syrup. Add berries, and boil rap- 
idly fifteen minutes. Cook small quantity 
at a time. 

Preserved Rhubarb. — Cut as for pies, 
without peeling ; take the same quantity of 
sugar as you have fruit, put a small piece of 
butter in the bottom of a porcelain or gran- 
ite kettle ; place the sugar and rhubarb al- 
ternately in the kettle, place on the back of 
range and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, 
until sugar is dissolved ; then cook more 
rapidly until preserved. 

Preserved Peaches, Pears, Plums. — 

Make fruit ready for preserving ; to each 



67 



pound of fruit use three- fourths to one 
pound of sugar and one cup water, accord- 
ing to tartness of fruit, boil syrup from five 
to ten minutes, then put in fruit ; boil until 
fruit looks clear ; fill jars and close. 

Spiced Currants. — Make a syrup of 
three pounds of sugar, one pint vinegar, 
two tablespoonfuls each of cinnamon and 
cloves, one-half teaspoonful salt ; add six 
pounds of currants, and boil one-half hour. 

Spiced Peaches, Pears, and Sweet Ap- 
ples. — Take five pounds fruit, three pounds 
sugar, cloves and cinnamon to taste ; one 
pint cider vinegar ; have the syrup hot, 
cook until tender. 

Canned Strawberries. — Wash berries 
thoroughly before picking off" stems ; weigh 
them. To each pound of berries allow one- 
quarter pound of sugar. Let them cook 
fifteen minutes ; after they come to a boil 
they are ready to can. 

Canned Peaches, Pears, and Quinces. 
— Prepare fruit for canning, place in kettle ; 
to each quart of fruit put four tablespoon- 
fuls of sugar ; put in water to prevent burn- 
ing, heat slowly to a boil, then boil three or 
four minutes, can and seal. Cook pears and 
quinces longer. 

Canned Cling Peaches. — Take one quart 
of granulated sugar, one quart of water, let 
boil, add three quarts of nice smooth peaches, 
peeled ; let boil slowly twenty minutes. 
This is sufficient for two quart cans. Have 
cans hot and dry ; fill and seal while hot. 

Canned Tomatoes. — Scald nice smooth 
tomatoes and cook in granite kettle ; ' ' sim- 
mer," not boil, ten minutes ; salt, pepper as 
for use ; then fill cans very full ; just before 
sealing put in a lump of fresh butter the 
size of a walnut. Tomatoes canned this 
way will keep for years. 

Canned Corn and Tomatoes. — Peel and 
slice tomatoes (not too ripe) in the propor- 
tion of one-third corn to two-thirds tomatoes; 
put on in porcelain or granite kettle ; let boil 
fifteen minutes ; can immediately in tin or 
glass. Some take equal parts of corn and 
tomatoes, and prepare as above. 

Canned Rhubarb in Cold Water. — Cut 

rhubarb in small pieces as for pies without 
peeling ; fill Mason jars with fruit ; pump 



5^ 



^HE MODEL COOK BOOK 



water over it rapidly to force out all air. 
Put lids on tightly at once. Set in a dark, 
cool place. 

Baked Apples. — Wipe and core sour 
apples. Place them in an earthen or agate- 
ware baking dish — never use tin for apples 
— and fill the centre of each apple with 
sugar. Measure one tablespoonful water 
for each apple, and pour it around the 
apples, being careful not to pour it through 
the centres, so as to take away the sugar. 
Bake until the apples are soft, from twenty 
to forty-five minutes. When done, place 
on an attractive dish. Strain the juice, 
measure, and put it into an agate saucepan. 
For each half cup of juice add one-third cup 
sugar. Boil five minutes, and pour it over 
the apples. Serve cold with milk or cream. 

Baked Pears. — Remove the skin and 
leave the pears whole, or cut them into 
quarters and take out the cores. Put into a 
deep earthen dish. To each pint of fruit 
add quarter cup brown sugar, quarter cup 
water. Cover, and bake in a moderate oven 
until soft. This dish is good if baked one 
hour, but becomes richer if cooked three or 
four hours. Apples, peaches and quinces 
may be baked in the same way. 

Apple Sauce. — Quarter, pare and core 
sour apples. Put them into an agate sauce- 
pan, with just enough water to keep them 
from burning, and cook until soft. Stir in 
sugar, allowing half cup sugar for six me- 
dium-sized apples, and boil five minutes. 
Strain through a wire strainer. Cool and 
serve. 

Stewed Apricots. — Wash one pound 
dried apricots carefully, taking each piece 
in the fingers. Put them into a pan with 
three cups water, and soak two hours or over 
night. Then cover them and stand them 
over a moderate fire. L,et them come to a 
boil, and cook gently ten minutes. Add 
half cup sugar and cook five minutes longer. 

Stewed Prunes. — Prepare and cook 
them in the same manner as apricots. One 
pound of prunes will require a quarter cup of 
sugar. Just before removing from the stove, 
add two tablespoonfuls lemon juice. The 
prunes should be soft, but not broken. 

Stewed Cranberries. — Take four cups 
cranbeiTies. Pick them carefully. Put them 



into a pan with a cup of water, and cover 
them closely. Stand them over a moderate 
fire, let them come to a boil, and cook 
gently eight minutes. Add two cups of 
sugar, and cook two minutes longer. 
When cold the skins will be tender and the 
juice will form a delicate jelly. 

Cranberry Jelly. — Cook the fruit as di- 
rected in the above recipe and press it 
through a strainer into a mold or glass 
dish. 

Cranberry Sauce. — Put a quart of ripe 
cranberries into a saucepan with a teacupful 
of water. Stew slowly, stirring often ; cook 
ten minutes. Take from fire and sweeten 
well with white sugar. Put into a mold. 
Or strain the pulp through a sieve into a 
mold wet with cold water, and when firm 
turn into a glass dish. Eat with roast tur- 
key or game. 

Steamed Rhubarb. — Wash one cup of 
rhubarb and cut it into inch pieces without 
removing the skin, as this gives a pretty 
pink color to the juice. Put it in an agate 
double boiler without water, sprinkle one- 
third cup of sugar over it and steam half 
hour, or until soft. Do not stir it, as it 
breaks the pieces. 

Ices and Ice Cream. 

General Rules. — Ice (or snow) and salt 
are necessary for freezing cream, fruit, etc. 
Salt melts the ice, and in melting it absorbs 
heat from the cream, thus causingthe cream 
to freeze. For each cup of rock salt used, 
allow three cups of broken ice. Pound ice 
in a bag or piece of carpet. 

To pack the freezer : Put three cups 
pounded ice around the can, then sprinkle 
one cup of rock salt, and pack in alternate 
layers of ice and salt until within an inch 
of the top of the can . Let it stand from ten 
to twenty minutes to chill, then turn or beat 
until the cream is frozen. Pack away with 
ice and salt around and over the can. 

Vanilla Ice Cream. — One quart of 
cream, one pint of milk, two cups sugar, 
one tablespoonful vanilla, white of one ^%%, 
beaten ; strain cream. For peach ice cream 
leave out vanilla and add one quart of 
peaches, mashed fine, after cream is partly 
frozen. 



68 



Steamed Plum Pudding 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 
Mix thoroughly together half-a-pound of fine chopped suet, half-a-pound of bread 
crumbs, two ounces (half a cup) of flour, a teaspoonful of '^innamon and one-fourth a tea- 
spoonful, each, of mace and clove, three fourths a cup of sugar, three-fourths a pound of 
mixed fruit, — seeded raisins, orange peel, citron of figs, and a teaspoonful of salt; b^p' 
four eggs, add two or three tablespoonfuls of milk and stir into the dry ingredients. If the 
mixture is not moist enough, add more milk. The mixture should be much too soft to 
handle, but of such consistence that it can be taken up in heaped spoonfuls. Steam in a 
buttered mold about five hours. As the water evaporates, replenish with boiling water. 
Serve hot with a hard or a liquid pudding sauce. 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



53 



Put the mixture into a can with a tight 
cover and stand it in a pail. Pack the ice 
and salt around it, beat the cream, and turn 
the can back and forth, opening it once in 
five minutes to scrape the cream from the 
sides of the can and stir thoroughly. It 
should freeze in twenty minutes. 

Strawberry Ice Cream. — One quart 
cream, one pound sugar, one and a half 
quarts strawberries ; put one teacup new 
milk and half the sugar on to boil in a dou- 
ble boiler ; when sugar is dissolved set 
aside to cool ; rub the berries through a 
colander, and then add the remaining half 
of the sugar to them ; pour the sweetened 
milk and cream into the freezer and freeze ; 
when nearly done add the berries and beat 
thoroughly. 

Banana Ice Cream. — Remove the peel 
from eight ripe bananas, mash them into a 
pulp, then beat them thoroughly with one 
quart of cream. Sweeten and freeze the 
same as ordinary cream. The bananas may 
be grated or chopped fine. 

Chocolate Ice Cream. — Melt one and 
one-half squares Baker's Chocolate and di- 
lute with hot water to pour easily, add one 
quart thin cream ; then add one cup sugar, 
a sprinkle of salt, and one tablespoonful 
vanilla, and freeze. 

Orange and Lemon Water Ice. — Juice 
of four lemons, juice of four oranges, four 
cups sugar, four cups water, whites of four 
eggs, well beaten, add last, then freeze very 
slowly. 

Lemon Water Ice. — To the juice of six 
large lemons add one quart water and one 
quart sugar. Make a syrup of part of the 
water and sugar, then add lemon juice and 
rest of water. When half frozen add whites 
of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth. 

Fruit Ices. — Take three each of oranges, 
lemons and bananas, and one pint of straw- 
berries or raspberries. Put the fruit into a 
coarse strainer and rub it through into a 
large bowl. Pour three cups of cold water 
through the strainer, add three cups of 
sugar. Stir and freeze. 

Lemon Sherbet. — Juice of four lemons, 
strained, one quart water, one and a half 
pints granulated sugar, one-fourth box 

2J 69 



Pink Plymouth Rock gelatine, soaked in 
cold water half an hour ; place in vessel in 
warm water to melt ; one teaspoonful va- 
nilla, one pinch soda ; mix all together, 
then put in freezer and when nearly done add 
the well-beaten white of one ^%z^ then freeze 
until solid. Suflficient for fourteen persons. 

Pineapple Sherbet. — Two large pine- 
apples or one quart can, one and one- 
fourth pounds sugar, juice of two lemons, 
one quart of water. Pare the pineapples, 
cut them, and remove the cores, or the pine- 
apple may be grated around them ; boil the 
sugar and water together for five minutes, 
take it from the fire, add the grated pine- 
apple and the juice of the lemons; strain 
through a cloth, pressing hard to get all the 
juice. Freeze, and when almost done add the 
meringue, which is made as follows : Beat 
the white of one ^g^ until frothy, then add 
a tablespoonful of powdered sugar and beat 
until white and stiff. 

Milk Sherbet.— Put one quart of milk 
into the can and let it freeze five minutes. 
Mix together two cups of sugar and the 
juice of three lemons ; stir into the milk, 
and freeze. 

Pickles and Salads. 

Gherkin Pickles. — Use small cucum- 
bers or gherkins. Pack in a stone jar in 
layers, salting each layer thickly. Cover 
the top layer deep with salt, pour cold 
water to cover all, and weight with a board 
and stone. lyCave in the brine a week to a 
month, stirring up daily. When ready to 
put up, throw off the brine and pick out any 
softened cucumbers. Soak for a day in 
fresh water. Then change the water and 
leave another day. Put them now in a ket- 
tle, lined with vine leaves, throwing in a 
little powdered alum ; fill with water, cover 
with vine leaves, and steam five or six hours. 
When the pickles are green take out the 
leaves, and throw the pickles into ice-cold 
water. 

To one gallon of vinegar add a cup of 
sugar, three dozen each whole black peppers 
and cloves, half as much allspice and a 
dozen blades of mace. Boil five minutes. 
Put the cucumbers into a stone jar, and 
pour over them the scalding hot vinegar. 



54 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Scald the vinegar several times, at intervals 
of two to five days, and return. Finally 
cover the jar and put in a cool dry place. 
The pickles will be ready for use in two 
months. They should be examined at in- 
tervals of a few weeks. 

Cucumber Pickles. — Wash cucumbers 
oarefully and put in weak salt water over 
night. In the morning drain them and put 
on stove in weak vinegar, half vinegar and 
half water, to which has been added alum, a 
piece the size of a small hickorynut to a 
gallon. lyet them heat slowly until scald- 
ing hot. Have ready in another kettle 
good cider vinegar to which has been added 
sugar, in the proportion of one teacup sugar 
to one quart vinegar. Have cans hot and 
pack cucumbers in closely, scattering mixed 
spices through them as desired. When can 
is full pour over the sweetened vinegar, 
boiling hot, and seal. 

Pickled Beets.-— Boil until quite soft ; 
when cool cut lengthwise to size of small 
cucumbers, boil equal parts vinegar and 
sugar with half a tablespoonful ground 
cloves, tied in a cloth, to each gallon ; pour 
boiling hot over the beets. 

Pickled Onions. — Peel the onions, cook 
in salt water till they begin to get tender. 
Take out of water and drain, pack in cans, 
take enough hot vinegar to cover them, add 
sugar and spices to taste. 

Pickled Cauliflower. — Break three heads 
in small clusters, lay in salted water three 
minutes, then drain, use small onions if 
liked. Boil one quart cider vinegar, and one 
cup sugar together. Mix mustard, celery 
seeds or spices to suit taste. Put in jars, 
pour over vinegar while hot, seal. 

Pickled Cabbage, — Chop cabbage fine, 
take enough for one-half gallon can, put in 
tablespoonful of salt, let stand over night, 
drain and add two tablespooonfuls of mus- 
tard seed, one pod of red pepper and horse- 
radish. Mix well, then put in can, press 
tightly ; then pour over cabbage enough 
vinegar to cover, seal in glass self-sealers 

Chow Chow. — Take six cucumbers just 
before they ripen, peel and cut in strips and 
remove the seed, four white onions, six 
good sized heads of cabbage, chop all fine ; 



let them stand in salt water over night. 
Then pour off the water, and add vinegar 
and spices to suit taste. 

Tomato Pickles. — Slice thin one gallon 
green tomatoes, salt and let stand over 
night ; next morning drain, chop one gallon 
cabbage, grate one quart horseradish. Put 
tomatoes on in vinegar, boil until tender, 
pour over cabbage, let stand till cool, and 
drain. Mix horseradish, celery, mustard 
seed and mixed spices ; then boil vinegar 
and sugar and pour over them. 

Piccalilli. — One peck green tomatoes, 
one dozen onions, six red peppers, one-half 
ounce ginger, one-quarter of an ounce of 
mace, one tablespoonful black pepper, one 
box of mustard, five cents' worth of celery 
seed, one pound of brown sugar ; slice onions, 
tomatoes, and peppers, put in a jar with salt, 
mix well, let stand twenty-four hours ; drain 
off and boil in vinegar (after adding the 
spices) until clear. 

Mixed Pickles. — One-fourth peck green 
tomatoes, twelve large pickles, three dozen 
small pickles, eight large onions, two heads 
cauliflower, one pint small green beans, one 
pint salt. Place in jar, let stand over night, 
rinse in cold water. Take equal parts vine- 
gar and water, put in the ingredients, boil 
until tender (about ten minutes), drain, put 
three quarts vinegar, one pound brown sugar, 
one-half pound mustard seed, five cents' 
worth turmeric, one-fourth pound ground 
mustard, four tablespoonfuls black pepper, 
one ounce celery seed. lyCt come to a boil, 
put in jar and seal. 

Tomato Sweet Pickles. — Slice tomatoes, 
salt and let stand over night ; then drain 
well and place in porcelain kettle and cover 
with vinegar ; let come to boil, then lift out 
the slices with a fork and place in cans pre- 
viously heated . Have a syrup ready. Two 
pints sugar, one of vinegar, with spices to 
taste ; let boil till thick and pour over 
tomatoes, then seal. 

Ripe Tomato Pickles. — For seven pounds 
of tomatoes, make a syrup of one quart of 
vinegar and four pounds of sugar. Scald, 
skin and drain the tomatoes. Boil them in 
the syrup, adding a little stick cinnamon. 
Must boil a long time, or until quite thick, 
or they will not keep unless in air-tight cans. 



70 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



55 



Pickled Pears. — One quart of vinegar, 
two quarts sugar ; boil together ; pour over 
pears ; let stand over night. In the morn- 
ing pour hot boiling syrup on pears; let 
cook until tender ; put fruit in cans ; add one- 
half ounce of cloves, one ounce stick cinna- 
mon ; boil in syrup ttntil thick. For one 
gallon of pears. 

Pickled Peaches. — For six pounds of 
fruit use three of sugar, about three dozen 
cloves, and a pint of vinegar. Put one or 
two cloves into each peach. Have the syrup 
hot ; cook until tender. 

Pickled Cherries. — To every quart of 
cherries (fresh tart ones) add a cupful of 
vinegar and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, 
with a dozen cloves and six blades of mace. 
Boil the vinegar, sugar and spices five min- 
utes, and after it has cooled strain out the 
spices, and pour the vinegar over the. cher- 
ries, which have been placed in jars till 
three-quarters full. Cork or cover tight. 

Higdin Pickle. — Take one peck green 
tomatoes and a dozen medium-sized onions. 
Cut and slice these, and salt and mix to- 
gether. L,et them stand over night, then 
drain them well, and add one ounce each of 
cloves, allspice and pepper, and a quarter 
pound of mustard seed, also a pound of 
sugar and horseradish to taste. Place the 
mixture in an earthen vessel, cover with 
vinegar, and cook over a slow fire until 
tender. 

Pickled Oysters. — Put 150 oysters into 
a suitable vessel, and salt to taste ; then 
put over a slow fire, bringing the liquid to 
a simmer, not a boil. Take out the oysters 
and put into a stone pot. To the liquid in 
the saucepan add a pint of good vinegar, a 
few heads of mace, three dozen each of 
whole cloves and pepper, and let come to a 
boil. When the oysters are cold. pour the 
liquid over them. 

Tomato Catsup. — Boil for half an hour 
three gallons of good ripe tomatoes. Strain 
through a sieve. Then put on and boil 
down to two gallons. While boiling add , 
two ounces each of whole cloves, allspice 
and cinnamon, and a quarter pound of black 
pepper. When done take off, cool, add one- 
quarter pound mustard and half a pound of 

71 



sugar. Stir well, and put in a quart of best 
cider vinegar for each gallon. Bottle and 
seal up for winter use. 

Apple Salad. — Take one-third more ap- 
ples than celery (chopped), put in as many 
English walnuts or hickorynuts as you like. 
Dressing; Yolks of three eggs, beaten, one 
teaspoonful mustard, two teaspoon fuls of 
salt, one-fourth saltspoonful of cayenne, 
two tablespoonfuls sugar, one tablespoonful 
butter, one cup cream, one-half cup of hot 
vinegar. Whites of three eggs, beaten stiff; 
cook in a double boiler until it thickens like 
soft custard. 

Cabbage Salad. — Two quarts of chopped 
cabbage, two level tablespoonfuls white 
sugar, one of black pepper, one of mustard. 
Rub yolks of three hard-boiled eggs until 
smooth. Add two tablespoonfuls butter, 
slightly warmed. Mix with cabbage and 
add one teacup good vinegar. Serve with 
whites of eggs, cut in rings and placed on 
salad. Salt to taste. 

Cold Slaw with Cream Dressing. — 
Slice cabbage fine, season with salt. Make 
a dressing of one-half cup whipped cream, 
two tablespoonfuls sugar, four of vinegar 
and pour over cabbage. 

Cold Slaw. — Chop cabbage fine, then 
put in a crock, add sugar, sale and pepper 
to taste ; mash all together with a potato 
masher until juicy; add either sweet or 
sour cream to make real moist, and vinegar 
to suit taste. 

Cooked Slaw. — O ne small head of cab- 
bage cut fine ; put one tablespoonful butter 
in a skillet ; when melted, stir in the cab- 
bage. Mix the yolk of one ^^g, one-third 
cup vinegar, a little mustard, sugar and 
salt, pour on the cabbage and heat, then 
serve. 

Lettuce with Cream Dressing. — Care- 
fully look over and wash lettuce, and tear 
in pieces. To two tablespoonfuls fresh 
meat fryings add one tablespoonful flour, 
while hot add one cup sour cream, salt and 
pepper, stir rapidly until it thickens, then 
pour over lettuce and stir very little, dish 
up and lay slices of hard-boiled eggs over 
the top. Sugar or vinegar may be added at 
the table. 



56 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Nut Salad. — Mix one cup chopped 
English walnut meats, with two cups celery 
or shredded lettuce leaves ; arrange on let- 
tuce, and serve with Mayonnaise dressing. 

Potato Salad. — Slice thin, eight cold 
boiled potatoes, and cover with a dressing 
made as follows : Yolk of one hard-boiled 
^%%, mashed fine, one teaspoonful of mixed 
mustard, four tablespoonfuls of melted but- 
ter, four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, salt and 
pepper. Finely chopped onion may be 
added. 

Fruit Salad — To one package Ply- 
mouth Rock gelatine, add a pint of cold 
water, the juice of four lemons, the grated 
rind of one. Let stand one hour. Add one 
pint boiling water, two cups sugar. Let 
boil and strain through a cloth into a mold. 
When about to congeal stir in fruit. One 
pound white grapes, seeded, one- half pound 
candied pineapple, one-half pound candied 
cherries, cut in pieces. Let stand on ice to 
cool and harden, then serve. 

Tongue Salad. — Boil, skin and trim a 
tongue, cut in dice and add the whites of six 
hard-boiled eggs cut in similar pieces. Cut 
fine the white stalks of three heads of celery 
and mix with tongue and eggs. Make a 
dressing as follows : Beat together four 
eggs, six tablespoonfuls of vinegar, five of 
melted butter, one of prepared mustard, one 
of sugar and two-thirds of a cup of cream. 
Put over the fire in a double boiler and cook 
until as thick as boiled custard. Set aside 
to cool ; season with salt and pepper, thin 
with lemon juice, mix with the tongue and 
other ingredients, and serve. 

Cream 5alad Dressing. — Mix one-half 
each, salt and mustard, with one table- 
spoonful of sugar, add one beaten &%Zi two 
and one-half tablespoonfuls butter, and 
three- fourths cup sweet cream, add slowly 
one- fourth cup vinegar ; cook until it thick- 
ens, then strain and cool. 

riayonnaise Sauce — Mix in a two-quart 
bowl one even teaspoonful ground mustard, 
one of salt, and one and a half of vinegar, 
beat in the yolk of a raw ^z^. Then add 
very gradually a half pint of pure olive oil. 
Beating briskly all the time. The mixture 
will become a very thick batter. Flavor 



with vinegar or fresh lemon juice. If cov- 
ered closely it will keep for weeks. If the 
dressing curdles . take another yoke of egg 
and add to it the curdled mixture slowly, 
stirring constantly. 

Salad Dressing. — Yolks of three eggs, 
one tablespoonfnl sugar, a lump of buttei 
size of a small ^%z> ^ pinch each of salt, 
and cayenne pepper, one teaspoonful of pre- 
pared mustard. Stir all together, add one- 
half pint of vinegar, set over fire and stii 
constantly until it becomes about like 
custard. This will keep several days in a 
cool place. Very nice served with nice 
ripe tomatoes. Peel and cut out a little of 
the top with a teaspoon ; serve it on a let- 
tuce leaf with the salad dressing. 

Salad Dressing. — Yolks of three eggs, 
one teaspoonful mustard, one teaspoonful 
salt, a sprinkle of cayenne, two tablespoon- 
fuls of butter, one cup milk, or cream. Stii 
the above together. When well beaten 
pour over one-half cup of hot vinegar. 
Have ready the whites of three eggs, beaten 
stifi". Cook in double boiler, stirring all the 
time it is cooking, using an &%% beater to 
stir with. Cook until cream thickens, then 
bottle. If one bottle of good salad dressing 
is mixed with the above recipe, it is im- 
proved. 

Potato Salad. — Boil four or six pota- 
toes, cut in thin slices, pour the hot dressing 
over and let it stand until cold. Two table- 
spoons chopped celery may be mixed with 
the potatoes, and one teaspoon onion juice 
may be stirred into the dressing after it is 
cooked. Serve in the same manner as the 
meat salads. Sliced boiled beets are some 
times added. 

Tomato Salad. — Pour boiling water over 
four or six tomatoes, and let it stand a 
moment. Pour ofi", and add cold water, 
slip ofi" the skins, slice, and set away to be- 
come cold. Serve with the cold dressing. 
If desired, the slices of tomatoes may be 
served on lettuce leaves. 

Tomato Catsup. — Take a peck of ripe 
tomatoes, cut each, and boil in a porcelain 
kettle until the juice is extracted a«d the 
pulp dissolved. Press through a colander, 
then through a hair sieve. Return to kettle ; 



72 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



5? 



season with an ounce each salt and mace, a 
tablespoonful each black and cayenne 
pepper, powdered cloves, and celery seed 
(in a thin bag), and same of ground mus- 
tard. Boil five hours, stirring frequently 
and in the last hour constantly. L,et 
stand twelve hours in a stone jar in 
cellar. Add a pint of strong vinegar ; take 
out the bag of celery seed, and bottle for 
use. Keep in a cool, dark place. Of the 
numerous catsups, this is the most useful 
for ordinary purposes. 

Cold Slaw. — Take a fresh, crisp cab- 
bage, and pull off the loose and torn leaves. 
Cut it into several pieces, and shave each 
piece into very thin strips. Strain the salad 
dressing, while hot, over the cabbage, mix 
it well, spread it out, and set it away to 
cool. When ready to serve, arrange in a 
neat mound in the centre of a clean dish. If 
the cabbage is wilted, soak it for an hour or 
more in cold, salted water. 

Lettuce Salad. — Pick over the leaves 
carefully and see that they are whole, clean 
and free from insects. Wash them in cold 
water, and shake the leaves gently in a cloth 
to dry them. Arrange on a fiat dish with 
the smaller leaves inside the larger, and 
serve, with the cold salad dressing on the 
table. 

Boil hard one-half dozen eggs. When 
cold chop fine with stalks and tender leaves 
of a root of celery, and a handful of green 
parsley. Pour over the mixture a sauce 
made by rubbing together a dessertspoonful 
of mustard with, the same quantity of salt 
and two spoonfuls of granulated sugar, into 
which beat well, five spoonfuls of olive oil 
and five of vinegar. 

Candies and Confections. 

Butter Scotch. — One cup of light brown 
sugar, one-half cup of hot water, a table- 
spoonful of butter, a tablespoonful of vin- 
egar ; boil about twenty minutes, testing in 
cold water ; when it begins to thicken it 
can be flavored by adding half a teaspoon- 
ful of lemon or vanilla if desired. Pour on 
buttered plates and mark into squares as it 
cools. 

Chocolate Caramels. — One and a half 
pound of brown sugar, one cup of cream, 



73 



one tablespoonful of butter, half a cake oj 
Baker's chocolate. Mix ail together and 
let cook, stirring frequently until done. 
Drop a little in water ; if done it hardens at 
once. Just before pouring in pan flavor 
with vanilla or lemon. Pour in a buttered 
dish, and before it gets perfectly cold cut in 
squares by running a knife across the dish. 
It will break when cold. 

Vanilla Caramels. — Two cups of sugar, 
one-half cup of water, one-fourth cup of 
vinegar; boil until it will harden when 
dropped in water, then add one-half cup of 
cream and two teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Stir 
to prevent scorching. When it will harden 
if dropped in water, pour into a greased 
pan so it will be a half inch thick. When 
cool enough, cut in squares and wrap in 
paraffine paper. 

Soft Caramels. — Make either with or 
without nuts. Whites of two eggs beaten 
stiff", half cup of corn starch, eight table- 
spoonfuls of pulverized sugar. Stir untJ3 
stiff enough to manipulate with the hands 
then work just with the fingers. 

Cocoanut Caramels. — One cocoanut 
grated fine ; take the milk of the cocoanut 
and add sufficient water to make one pint, 
to this add three pounds of white sugar. 
When it boils up well, add one-half tea- 
spoonful cream of tartar dissolved in a little 
water ; boil until it will make a soft ball 
when dropped in water, then add the grated 
cocoanut; remove from the fire and beat 
until it begins to get white — if beaten too 
long it will crumble ; pour into shallow 
pans and when partly cold cut in squares. 

Ice Cream Candy. — Two cups granu- 
lated sugar, a scant half cup water, a lump 
of butter the size of a walnut, and one quarter 
teaspoonful cream of tartar. Flavor with 
vanilla. Boil until it cracks when dropped 
into water. Do not stir. Pour in buttered 
tins, and when cool pull until white. 

Maple Creams. — One cup maple sugar, 
one-half cup cream or milk, lump of butter; 
boil until it brittles in cold water. Let 
stand until cool, then beat to a cream. Put 
in buttered tins and cut in squares. 

English Kisses. — Whites of two ^^gi 
beaten dry and stiff, one-half pint granulated 
sugar, one teaspoonful vanilla, mix thor- 



38 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



ougbly ; drop in drops on greased manilla 
paper and lay half kernels of English wal- 
nuts on the top. Bake a light brown. 

Molasses Candy. — One quart good mo- 
lasses, one-half cup vinegar, one cup sugar, 
butter size of an ^zz-i one teaspoonful bak- 
ing soda. Boil molasses, sugar and vinegar 
until it hardens when dropped in cold 
water, then add butter, and the soda dis- 
solved in hot water ; flavor to taste. Pour 
in buttered dishes and pull when cold. 

Taffy. — Put into a pan half cup of 
butter, two cups brown sugar, and the juice 
of a lemon or four tablespoonfuls vinegar ; 
stand it over a moderate fire. Stir until it 
begins to bubble, then draw it to one side of 
the stove and let it boil slowly. Test occa- 
sionally by dropping a little into cold water. 
If it hardens at once, it is done. Stir in 
shelled peanuts or walnuts and pour into 
buttered pans. 

Chocolate Creams. — Beat the white of 
one ^"gz and add to it two tablespoonfuls 
cold water and half teaSpoonful vanilla. 
Stir in gradually enough confectioner's or 
XXX sugar to make a stiff dough. Roll 
into balls the size of marbles, and let dry 
one hour. Melt quarter pound chocolate in 
a bowl and put the balls into it in succes- 
sion. Lift out each ball with a fork and 
place it on greased paper to harden. 

Walnut Creams. — Open English wal- 
nuts carefully, that the half-kernels may not 
be broken. Press the two halves into op- 
posite sides of a sugar-ball, as above de- 
scribed. 

Date Cream s.^-Remove the seeds from 
dates. Roll sugar-balls into cylinders and 
press them into the spaces from which the 
date seeds were taken. 

Cherry Creams. — Buy quarter pound 
red candied cherries. Cut each cherry partly 
open, and press into the opening a small 
ball of the sugar mixture. 

Lemon or Orange Creams. — Take one 
teaspoonful of vthite of ^gg and mix with 
it one tablespoonful lemon or orange-juice. 
Add enough sugar to make a dough, roll it 
into balls and let it harden. 

Fruit Creams. — Take one tablespoonful 
ftultana raisins, two figs, four dates, and 



one tablespoonful nut kernels. Chop the 
fruit very fine and stir all together. Take a 
portion of the sugar dough, above described, 
and mix with it the chopped fruit. Roll 
the mixture into balls, or pat it flat and cut 
into small squares. 

Home=made Candy. — Two pounds white 
sugar, one pint water ; boil until it cracks 
when dropped in cold water; add three 
tablespoonfuls vinegar and one-half tea- 
spoonful soda ; flavor to taste. 

Peanut Candy. — Two cups granulated 
sugar, one cup chopped peanuts, no water. 
Put sugar over a slow fire ; it melts very 
slowly. After it has melted a little it turns 
into very hard lumps, then melts again. 
When it is free from lumps remove from 
fire, pour it over the peanuts, stirring with 
a spoon to prevent them collecting at the 
bottom of the pan. When cool mark into 
squares. 

Peppermint Drops. — One-half cup 
sugar, one half cup water, one teaspoonful 
vinegar. Boil until done, then beat fast 
with a fork. Before it gets cold add five 
drops peppermint oil, beat thoroughly, let 
fall in drops on buttered paper. 

Sugar Candy. — Six cups white sugar, 
one cup vinegar, one cup water, one table- 
spoonful butter put in at the last with one 
teaspoonful soda, dissolved in hot water. 
Boil without stirring one-half hour. Flavor 
to suit taste. 

Walnut Macaroons.— One cup walnut 
meats chopped fine, one cup sugar, a little 
salt, three tablespoonfuls flour. Cook in a 
buttered tin in a slack oven. When done 
cut in small squares and lift from tin while 
warm. 

Pop=Corn Balls. — Pop the corn and re- 
ject all the h'ard kernels ; place in a large 
pan. To eight quarts of corn take one pint 
sugar, scant one-half teaspoonful cream of 
tartar, and a little water. Boil all together 



until it hardens in water, then 
the corn and make into balls. 



pour over 



74 



Beverages. 

Tea. — The water for tea should be freshly 
boiled. An earthenware pot should be used. 
Scald the pot, put in one teaspoonful tea, 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



59 



and pour on one cup of boiling water. 
Cover it and let it steep five minutes. Never 
allow tea to boil. 

Coffee. — To one tdblespoonful ground 
coffee add an eggshell or one-half teaspoon- 
ful white of ^<g% and one tablespoonful cold 
water. Mix together and pour on one cup 
freshly-boiled water, l^et it come to a boil ; 
then steep five minutes. A little boiling 
water ynay be poured in the spout of the 
cotfee-pot to clear away the grounds. Serve 
with loaf sugar and hot cream or milk. 

Left-over coffee may be used if poured 
off the g;-ounds immediately. Keep it in a 
cool place until needed. Wash the pot out 
carefully after using. 

Filtered Coffee. — Use pulverized coffee. 
Put one teaspoonful into the upper part ol 
a double coffee-pot and pour one cup boil- 
ing water through it. L,et it stand a few 
minutes on the back part of the stove, where 
it will not boil. Then remove it, and serve. 

Cereal Coffee. — Put two tablespoon fuls 
cereal coffee into the pot and pour a pint of 
boiling water over it. Let it boil fifteen 
minutes. Strain and serve with sugar and 
hot cream or milk. As cereal coffee is made 
of browned grain, it is a wholesome drink, 
and is not stimulating. 

Chocolate. — Grate chocolate, allowing 
six tablespoonful s for one quart of water ; 
mix smooth with a little water, and boil ten 
minutes ; add one quart rich milk, boil five 
minutes longer, and serve hot with sugar. 

Cocoa. — For one cup, take one teaspoon- 
ful of cocoa, add either boiling milk or 
water, or half each ; sweeten to taste. 

Cream Nectar. — To one gallon boiling 
water add four pounds granulated sugar and 
five ounces tartaric acid. Beat the v/hites 
of three eggs, and pour into a bottle with a 
little of the warm syrup ; shake briskly, 
then pour it into the kettle of syrup, and 
stir it through well. Boil three minutes, 
removing the scum as it rises. Flavor with 
any preferred extract, and bottle for use. 
When wanted to use, take two or three 
tablespoonfuls of the syrup to a glass of 
ice-cold water and one-half teaspoonful of 
soda. 



Grape Juice. — Weigh grapes before pick- 
ing from stem, then pick from the stem and 
put in a kettle. Add a very little water, 
cook until stones and pulp separate ; strain 
through a cloth and return juice to kettle. 
Add three pounds of sugar to ten pounds of 
grapes previously weighed ; heat just to 
simmering. This makes one gallon. 

Lemon Syrup. — Take the juice of twelve 
lemons ; grate the rind of six in it, let it 
stand over night ; then take six pounds of 
white sugar, and make a thick syrup. When 
it is quite cool, strain the juice into it ; put 
in bottles, securely corked, for future use. 
A tablespoonful in a glass of water will 
make a delicious drink on a hot day. 

Lemonade with Fruit. — Use six lemons 
to a gallon of water ; squeeze the juice from 
lemons and add two teacups of sugar ; dis- 
solve and strain. Then add juice of fruit, 
either chetiies or raspberries, or any other 
fruit you like as a variety. 

Fruit Punch. — One dozen lemons, one- 
half dozen oranges, one can of pineapple ; 
boil four cups of sugar in four pints of water 
ten minutes; cool, and add one gallon of water. 
Grate the pineapple, press juice from the 
lemons and oranges, strain through a coarse 
towel, serve with cracked ice. 

Raspberry Shrub. — Cover the berries 
over night in a stone jar with vinegar, next 
morning strain and to one pint of juice put 
One pint of sugar. Boil ten minutes, bottle 
hot. Boiled longer will jelly. 

Dishes for the Sick. 

Beef Tea. — One pound of lean beef cut 
fine, put in a glass fruit jar, without water, 
cover tightly and set in a pot of cold water. 
Heat gradually to a boil and keep hot for 
three or four hours, until the meat is light- 
colored and the juice is all drawn out. 
Season with pepper and salt. 

Invalid's Cream Hash. — Boil a good 
lean, tender, piece of beef until well done; 
chop fine two tablespoonfuls of the meat ; 
roll four crackers fine, salt and pepper. Mix 
all together, cover with sweet cream, set in 
the stove and heat. 

Barley Water. — Put a large tablespoon- 
ful of pearl barley in a pitcher, pour over it 



75 



6o 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



boiling water, cover and let stand till cold, 
then drain off the water, sweeten to taste. 
If desired add the juice of a lemon and 
grated nutmeg. 

Broiled Oysters. — Select large oysters. 
Lightly grease with butter a wire broiler, 
place oysters on it and broil over hot coals, 
watching them closely as they cook quickly. 
When the edges begin to look ruffled turn 
them and in a short time they will be done. 
Have ready a slice of bread nicely toasted 
and buttered slightly. Place the oysters on 
it, salt, pepper and butter slightly. Let 
stand in oven a minute or two. This is a 
most tempting dish for a sick person. 

Oatmeal Gruel. — Mix together two 
tablespoonfuls of oatmeal, one-fourth tea- 
spoonful salt, one teaspoonful sugar and one 
cup boiling water. Cook thirty minutes 
and strain through a fine wire strainer to re- 
move the hulls. Add one cup milk and 
heat to boiling-point. 

Eggs for Invalids. — Put them in a pan, 
pour boiling water over them, set back on 
the stove five minutes ; season to taste. 
After eating them this way the sick will not 
want them any other way. 

Corn Meal Gruel. — Stir slowly two 
tablespoonfuls of corn meal in one quart of 
boiling water, cook twenty minutes, stir 
often, add hot water if too thick. 

Mutton Broth. — Take two pounds mut- 
ton, put in a sauce-pan, with two quarts of 
cold water and one ounce of pearl barley or 
rice. When it boils skim well ; add one- 
half teaspoonful of salt ; let boil until re- 
duced to one-half. Strain it off and skim off 
all the fat. 

Clam Broth. — Take twelve small hard- 
shell clams, chop fine, add one-half pint 
clam juice, or hot water, a pinch of cayenne 
pepper, small lump butter ; simmer thirty 
minutes, add one gill boiling milk. Strain 
and serve. 

Toast Crackers or Bread Panade. — 
Toast crackers or stale bread until very 
brown. Pour over them hot water to 
cover ; cover tightly and steep until cold. 
Strain and sweeten to taste or drink hot with 
cream and sugar. Or add lemon juice or a 
very little nutmeg. 



Oyster Toast. — Take six oysters, strain 
off the liquor, add to it one-half cup milk. 
When hot add the oysters ; boil one minute. 
Season with butter, salt and pepper. The" 
pour over hot buttered toast and serve. 

Flax Seed Tea. — To one tablespoonful 
of flax seed add one pint of cold water. 
Boil slowly for one hour ; add sugar to 
taste and the juice of one lemon. Very 
good for a cough. 

Koumyss. — H'eat two quarts of perfectly 
fresh milk to 165 degrees. Boil together 
two tablespoonfuls of sugar and two of 
water ; add this to the milk. When it has 
cooled to 100 degrees, add one-third of a 
yeast cake dissolved in warm milk. Mix 
by pouring from one vessel to another. 
Bottle, cork and tie. Stand upright in a 
moderately cool place (60 degrees) for 
twelve hours ; then turn the bottles on their 
sides in a cool place (40 degrees to 50 de- 
grees) for twenty-four hours, and it is ready 
for use. Open with a syphon. 

Cooling Drinks in Fever. — Crush a 
bunch of Malaga grapes, pour over them 
one pint of hot water ; let stand until cold. 
Or pour one-half pint of boiling water over 
one tablespoonful of currant jelly, and stir 
until jelly is dissolved. Other jellies are 
good prepared in like manner. 



Menus for Various Occasions. 

Breakfast. 

Fruit. 

Oat Meal. Cream and Sugar. 

Broiled Steak. 

Fried Potatoes. 

Biscuit. Coffee. 



Lunch. 

Cold Chicken. 
Saratoga Chips. 
Apple Sauce. Wafers. 

Chocolate. 



Dinner. 

Tomato Soup. 



Roast Lamb. Mint Sauce. 

Boiled Potatoes. 



76 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



61 



Asparagus on Toast. 

Cabbage Salad. 

Wafers. Cheese. 

Peach Ice Cream. Sponge Cake. 

Coflfee. 



Breakfast. 

Fruit. 

Breakfast Food. Sugar and Cream. 

Broiled White Fish. 

Baked Potatoes. 

Griddle Cakes. Maple Molasses. 

CoflFee. 



Dinner. 

Vegetable Soup. 

Fried Chicken. Cream Gravy. 

Mashed Potatoes. 

Sweet Potatoes. 

Tomato Salad. 

Wafers. Cheese. 

Cherry Pie. 

Tea. 



Supper. 

Thin Slices Cold Boiled Ham. 

Pepper Sauce. Thin Bread and Butter. 

Potato Salad. Cheese Straws. 

Raspberry Float. White Cake. 

Tea. 



Breakfast. 

Fruit. 

Wheatlet, Sugar and Cream. 

Broiled Pork Chops. 

Browned Potatoes. Rice Pancakes. 

Coflfee. 



Dinner. 

Tomato Soup. 

Roast Duck. Currant Jelly. 

Sweet Potatoes. Mashed Turnips. 

Stewed Celery. Lettuce Salad. 

Wafers. Apple Pie. Cheese. 

CoflFee. 



Supper. 

Oysters on Half Shell. 
Broiled Quail on Toast. 



Potato Chips. 

Sliced Oranges. 
Tea. 



Olives 

Crullers. 



A Formal Breakfast or Luncheon 

Bouillon in Cups. Wafers 

Sweetbreads. Rolls. 

Biroiled Chicken, Cream Sauce. 

Peas. 

Tomatoes, Mayonnaise Dressiuji 

Thin Bread and Butter. 

Charlotte Russe in Molds. 

CoflFee. 



A Wedding Breakfast. 

Grape Fruit. 

Corn Fritters. 

Dumplings stuflFed with Cheese, 

Cream Sauce. 

Biscuits. 

Mayonnaise of Tomatoes. 

Toasted Bread Fingers. 
Ice Cream Sponge Cake. 

CoflFee. 



A Formal Dinner. 



Oysters on the Half Shell. 
Horseradish Sauce. Wafers. 

Clear Lintel Soup. Croutons. 

Olives. Radishes. Celery. 

Boiled Cod Shoulder and Head. 

Fish Sauce. Potato Balls. 

Cucumbers with Fiench Dressing. 

Roast Chicken with Chestnut Stuflfing. 

Cranberry Sauce. Rice Croquettes 

Mint Sherbet. 

Roast Small Birds, Sippets of Bread 

Guava Jelly. 

Lettuce Salad with French Dres&. ug 

Charlotte Russe. 

Wafers. Cheese. 

CoflFee. 



77 



Thanksgiving Dinner. 

Oyster Soup. 

Olives. Celery. 

Roast Turkey. Chestnut Dressing 

Cranberry Sauce. Pickles. Sweet Pickles 

Fruit Salad. 



62 



THE. MODEL COOK BOOK 



Scalloped Potatoes. Sweet Potatoes. 
French Peas Scalloped Oysters. 

Cherry Ice. 

Sweet Pudding. Sauce. 

Mince Pie. Pumpkin Pie. 

Cheese. 

Lemon Jelly with Nuts. 

Chocolate and Fruit Cake. 
Bonbons. Almonds. 

Coffee. 



Christmas Dinner. 



Creamed Clams, Wafers. 

Mixed Pickles. 

Roast Turkey with Oyster Dressing. 

Oyster Sauce. 

Celery. Spiced Currants. 

Sweet Potatoes. Mashed Potatoes. 

Scalloped Corn. 

Lemon Orange Ice. 

Cold Boiled Ham. Horseradish Sauce. 

Tomato Salad. Boston Brown Bread. 

English Plum Pudding with Sauce. 

Pine Apple Sherbet. Fancy Cakes. 

Coffee. 

Nuts. Home-made Caramels. Fruit. 



Quick Meals. 

Breakfast. 



Fruit. 



Boiled Eggs. 
Coffee. 



Milk. 
Toast. 



Dinner. 



Beef Stew. 

Hashed Brown Potatoes. 

Sliced Tomatoes. 

Junket. 



Supper. 

Toast and Cheese. Brown Bread. 

Mayonnaise of Cabbage. 

Tea. 



Breakfast — in i5 Minutes. 

Fruit. 



Boiled Rice. 



Toast. 



Coffee. 



Luncheon — in 2o Hinutes^ 

Fricasse of Dried Beef. 

Graham Bread. 

Cocoa. Crackers. 



Dinner — in 30 Minutes. 

Clear Soup. 

Broiled Chops. Baked Rice. 

Panned Tomatoes. 

Lettuce Cheese. 

Coffee. 



Small Evening Parties 

Thin Slices Bread. 
Tongue Salad. 



Butter 
Cucumber Pickles. 
Coffee. 



Clam Sandwiches. 
Fruit Salad. 



Mixed Pickles. 
Cheese Straws. 



Tea. 



Ham Salad. 

Thin Slices Boston Brown Bread. 

Butter. Pickles. 

Vanilla Ginger Bread. 

Coffee. 



Oyster Sandwiches. 
Wafers. 

Chocolate. 



Chow Chow, 
Cheese. 



Afternoon Receptions. 

Clam Broth in Cups. Wafers, 

Salmon Sandwiches. Olives. 

Tongue Salad in Tomatoes. 

Coffee. 

Strawberry Ice Cream. 

Angel Food. Chocolate Cake. 

Bonbons. Salted Almonds. 



78 



Chicken Sandwiches. Olives. 

Sweetbread with Peas. 

Fruit Salad on Lettuce Leaves. 

Cheese Straws. 

Coffee. Cake. 

Neapolitan Ice Cream. Cream Cake. 

Salted Mixed Nuts. Bonbons. 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



63 



Oyster Soup in Cups. Wafers. 

Celery. 

Chicken Salad. Bread. 

Lemon Jelly with Nuts. 

Coffee. 

Banana Ice Cream. Three-Ply Cake. 

Salted Pecans. Olives. 

Home-made Caramels. 



Cold Tongue. Brown Bread and Butter. 

Sliced Tomatoes. 

Tea. Gingerbread. 

For the children, Whole Wheat Bread and 

Milk, Fruit, Gingerbread. 



Small Picnics. 



Cold Chicken. 

Lettuce, French Dressing. 

Bread-and-Butter Sandwiches. 

Olives. 

Cocoanut Jumbles. Lemonade. 



Cheese Sandwiches. 

Stuffed Eggs. Bread and Butter, 

Fruits. 

Fruit Sandwiches. Cinnamon Bun. 

Coffee or Lemonade. 



Thin Cold Corned Beef. 

Brown Bread and Butter. 

Sliced Tomatoes, Plain. 

Coffee. 

Peaches. Water Thins 



TABLE-SETTING AND SERVING 



A table should be made to look as neat 
and attractive as possible. 

Dust the table, and lay evenly on it a 
cloth of felt-flannel or cotton-flannel. 
Spread the tablecloth evenly over this. The 
undercloth prevents the dishes from making 
a noise, preserves the tablecloth and gives 
the table a better appearance. 

The tablecloth should be laid with the 
hemmed edges underneath, and the lines in 
the cloth parallel with edges of the table. 

The knife is placed at the right hand, 
with the sharp edge turned to the left ; and 
the fork at the left hand with the prongs 
pointing upward. A spoon is placed to the 
right of the knife and the napkin to the left 
of the fork. All these articles should be 
about two inches from the edge of the table. 
The tumbler is placed at the end of the 
knife blade and the butter plate at the end 
of the fork. When bread and butter plates 
are used, place one at the left of each fork. 

The Breakfast Table. — Proceed as di- 
rected above, with the addition of the carv- 
ing knife and fork at the right hand of the 
one who carves, and with the salt and pep- 
per bottles together near the ends or opposite 
corners of the table. 

Arrange the tea or coffee service around 
the place of the one who is to serve it. Put 



the tea or coffee-pot on a stand at the right 
side, with the handle toward the right ; next 
the cream pitcher, with the handle to the 
right ; then the sugar bowl and spoon - 
holder. At the left hand arrange the cups 
and saucers. 

When mush or breakfast food is used, 
place a tablespoon, with the handle toward 
the right, in front of the one who is to serve, 
and saucers to the left of the tablespoon. 
The mush, in a covered dish, should stand 
directly in front of the one who serves it. 

The butter should be placed near some 
one who can conveniently serve it, and the 
butter-knife in front of the dish, with the 
handle at the right. 

In serving meat, place the platter before 
the one who is to carve, with the pile of hot 
plates directly in front or at the left of the 
carver. 

Plates containing hot muffins or rolls 
should be at opposite ends of the table. 

The supper table is arranged similarly to 
the breakfast table. 

The Dinner Table. — The dinner table is 
usually laid for courses. 

First. — Soup and rolls, croutons or 
baked crackers. 

Second. — Meat, potatoes and vegetables. 

Third.— Dessert. 
79 



64 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Arrange the cloths, knives and forks, 
etc., as directed for the breakfast table. 
Place at the right of each knife a soupspoon, 
and a teaspoon or two, if needed. 

For the first course, place a ladle with 
handle at the right, in front of the one who 
serves the soup, and hot plates at the left. 

Soup should be dipped away, not toward, 
the one who serves it, and the same rule 
holds in eating it. Sip it qaietly from the 
side of the spoon. 

After the soup course is finished, remove 
the plates by taking them singly in each 
hand, or on a tray. Never pile soiled dishes 
to carry away, since it is not pleasing to see 
and it makes double work in scraping the 
dishes before they are washed. 

The meat and plates for the second course 
may be arranged as for the breakfast table. 
After the second course remove everything 
but the dessertspoons and the tumblers. 
Pass to the left of each person and scrape 
off the crumbs, using a tray and a knife, 
which is cleaner and more thorough than a 
brush. Place the dessert in front of the one 
who is to serve it, with the plates or saucers 
at the left. 

General Directions.— When the waiter 
passes the food to each person it should be 
passed on the left side of the person. In 
placing a dish in front of a person the waiter 
should stand at the person's right. Dishes 
should be removed from the right side. 

Place everything straight upon the table. 

Turn no dishes upside down. 

In setting the table try not to forget any- 
thing. Remember that care in setting a 
table trains the eye and hand and contributes 
Quch to the comfort of a household. 

Time Table for Cooking Vegetables. 

Potatoes, boiled, thirty minutes. 

Potatoes, baked, forty-five minutes. 

Sweet potatoes, boiled, forty-five min- 
utes; baked, one hour. 

Squash, boiled, twenty-five minutes. 

Squash, baked, forty-five minutes. 

Green peas, boiled, twenty to forty min- 
utes. 

Shelled beans, boiled, one-half to one 
hour. 

String beans, boiled, two to three hours. 



Green corn, boiled, one-half hour. 
Asparagus, fifteen to thirty minutes. 
Spinach, one to two hours. 
Tomatoes (fresh), thirty minutes. 
Tomatoes (canned), fifteen minutes. 
Cabbage, forty-five minutes to two hours. 
Cauliflower, one to two hours. 
Onions, one to two hours. 
Beets, one to three hours. 
Turnips, forty-five minutes to one hour 
Parsnips, forty-five minutes to one hour. 
Carrots forty-five minutes. 

Kitchen Weights and Measures. 

Two and one-half teaspoonfuls, one 
tablespoonful. 

Four tablespoonfuls, one wineglassful. 

Two wineglassfuls, one gill. 

Two gills, one teacupful. 

Two teacupfuls, one pint- 
Four teaspoonfuls salt, one ounce. 

One and one-half tablespoonfuls sugar, 
one ounce. 

Two tablespoonfuls flour, one ounce. 

Two cups sugar, one pound. 

One scant quart flour, one pound. 

Ten eggs, one pound. 

Two cups butter, one pound. 

The Cellar and Store Room. 

Vegetables will keep best on a stone floor 
if the air be excluded ; meat in a cold dry 
place where the air is freely admitted ; sugar 
and sweetmeats require a dry place ; so does 
salt ; dried meats, hams, bacons and tongues 
the same. All sorts of seeds for puddings, 
such as rice, etc., should be kept closely 
covered to preserve them from insects, but 
if kept long that will not be sufficient, unless 
they be occasionally sifted. Apples and 
pears should be laid upon very clean and dry 
straw to prevent a musty taste, nor should 
they be exposed to either light or air. They 
should be arranged singly in rows, without 
touching each other, and should be often in- 
spected, both to wipe them if damp, and to 
reject those which may appear to be getting 
rotten. The larger sort of pears should be 
tied up by the stem. Apples may also be 
preserved in excellent condition for a long 
period by being packed in large barrels with 
dry sand, but require to be used immediately 
they are taken out. 



So 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK ^,5 

CUTS OF MEATS AND THEIR USES 

Every 1 lousekeeper, in fact, every one who has marketing to do, should know some- 
thing of the cuts of all common meats and the most Idesirable way each can be prepared 
for the table. In the illustrations below are shown the location of these cuts. The name? 
may vary somewhat in different sections. 




Beef. 

1. Head. Not used for food. 

2. Sticking piece. Soups, beef-tea, stews, 
corning. 

3. Neck. Soups, stews, beef-tea, boiling, 
corning. 

4. Second and third chuck. Brown stews, 
braising, steaks, poorer roasts. 

5. First chuck. Roasts. 

6. First cut, standing ribs. Roasts. 

7. Middle cut, ribs. Roasts. 

8. Back ribs. Roasts. 

9. Plate (no bones). Stews, soups, corning. 

10. Brisket. Stews, brown stews, soups, corning. 

11. Butt end of brisket. Soups, stews, corning. 

12. Bolar (no bones). Corning, cheap roasts. 

13. Bouy end of shoulders. Soups. 

14. Shin. Soups. 

15. Loin (including tenderloin and sirloin). 
Roasts and steaks. 

16. Flank or skirt, 
boiling, corning. 

17. Rump. Roasts aud steaks. Meat to be 
cut across the grain. 

18. Veiny piec3. Stews, soups. 

08 R 5 



Rolled steaks, braising, 



19. Round. Stews, beef-tea, poorer steaks. 

20. Leg. Soups and stews. 

21. Tail. Soups. 

22. Pin-bone. Roasts. 

The bones, gristle, tendons and other gelatin 
ous portions are all excellent for making soup stock 



Mutton. 




Roasts, chops. 
Roasts, boiling. 



1. Shoulder. 
Boiling. 

2. Breast. Roast, 
stews, chops. 

3. Loin. Best 
end used for roasts, 
chops. 

4. Neck. Best 
end, cutlets, stews, 
pies. 

5. Neck. Scrag 
end, stewing 
pieces. 

6. Head. Not 
used. 



t)6 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



The Kitchen. 

The kitchen arrangements will depend 
upon many conditions, as size, shape and 
means of owner. But every kitchen can 
always be kept neat and tidy and supplied 
with a stove or range and usual cooking 
utensils. These we need not describe here. 
Only a few hints or things which may be 
overlooked will be needed here. 

Since American enterprise has suc- 
ceeded in supplying cheap time-keepers of 
reliable performance, every kitchen should 
include a clock in its outfit. Having 
learned from cook books and personal ex- 
periment the average length of time required 
to cook the usual meats, poultry, vegeta- 
bles, etc., make a list of these and hang it 
up in some convenient place in your kitchen. 
You will find it of great aid. It will be a 
helpful supplement to the time-table just 
given. 

The kitchen utensils should include, as 
useful additions, a small brush for cleaning 
vegetables which are cooked in their skins, 
as potatoes and beets ; a pair of sharp - 
pointed scissors for opening fish, small 
birds, etc. ; a wall pincushion containing, 
besides pins and needles, a large darning- 
needle for sewing-up poultry ; a bag with a 
thimble, coarse thread, soft cotton for the 
darning-needle, twine, and narrow strips of 
muslin for tying up bunches of asparagus 
ready for cooking ; a coarsely crocheted or 
netted bag for boiling cauliflower ; several 
small boards to set hot pots and pans on, 
while dishing their contents, and a linked 
chain dishcloth for scouring the inside of 



pots and pans when they have been used to 
cook any article that sticks. 

All cooking utensils should be kept free 
from soot, as less fire is required to boil the 
contents of a bright, clean saucepan or 
kettle. Should they have been neglected 
and have become very black, rub them with 
a flannel rag dipped first in oil, then in pow- 
dered brick, and polish with a dry flannel 
and a little more brickdust. All pots and 
pans are easier to wash if a little hot water 
is poured into them when their contents are 
emptied out, they being then placed on the 
rack at the back of the stove or on the 
hearth until it is convenient to wash them. 

Silver should always be washed in clean, 
hot water, as soap dulls the polish. In 
washing the dishes, take the glasses first, 
next the silver, then such dishes as are not 
greasy, and, finally, the greasy dishes — 
these are best washed in two waters. Never 
let steel knives lie in water, as this discolors 
and loosens the handles. Pouring hot 
water on them is likely to have the same 
effect. Always have two cloths for clean- 
ing knives ; wet the first with water, dip 
into brickdust or fine ashes, and rub off all 
spots ; polish with a dry cloth with a little 
of the dust ; then wipe on a clean, dry towel. 

It is best to have two sets of tea towels; 
one set going into the wash each week, and 
being ironed and, if needed, darned. Close 
attention should be given to the sink. It 
should be rinsed out whenever soiled, and 
when the day's work is done should be 
thoroughly flushed with clean hot water, so 
as to wash from the drainpipe trap any im- 
purities which may have lodged there. 



OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN 



The kitchen, while the humblest, is the 
most important section of the household, 
and we have accordingly given ample space 
to its greatly varied culinary products, and 
have also spoken of the etiquette and man- 
agement of the dining-room, which comes 
next to it in importance. But the duties of 
family life are by no means confined to 
these two apartments. The remainder of 
the house demands its round of daily labors. 
And here ornament needs to be considered 



as well as utility. It is here the family 
spends its hours of recreation, enjoyment, 
and repose ; here many of its social duties 
are performed ; here art and comfort join 
hands with usefulness and necessity, and it 
is to the demands of the household at large 
that our attention must now be directed. 

The labors to be performed comprise 
sweeping, cleaning, the daily care of sleep- 
ing apartments, attention to the many small 
articles of adornment and utility; to clothing, 



82 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



67 



pictures, books, and furniture ; to wash- 
ing, mending, and a multitude of duties of 
which every day brings a new list. Let us, 
for example, rapidly review the ordinary 
weekly duties in a well-managed household, 
but one limited to a single maid, engaged 
for general housework. 

Diary of a Week's Work. 

On Monday the maid is expected to 
devote the morning to the heavy labor of 
washing ; rising early, and getting the day's 
labors well under way before the breakfast 
hour. She will have, besides, the meals to 
attend to, but these are necessarily made 
simple and expeditious on that day, the 
mistress of the household usually finding it 
necessary to assist in the cooking and dish- 
washing. 

Care should be taken to choose a plain 
dinner — steaks or chops, potatoes, and some 
ready-made dessert. The afternoon is occu- 
pied in finishing the washing, hanging out 
the clothes, and getting the tea, which must 
be a meal easily cooked ; for the ' ' tidying 
up " of the kitchen is yet to be done before 
the girl can rest. It will be a great assist- 
ance, in places where the visiting is suffi- 
ciently informal to permit it, if some mem- 
ber of the family open the door to callers 
on busy days. 

Tuesday, by general consent, is assigned 
to the work of ironing ; and here it will 
usually be necessary for the mistress to 
" lend a hand," and aid in clear-starching 
and ironing the fine clothing. 

Wednesday is devoted to baking part of 
the cake, bread, and pies that will be needed 
during the week. In this work the mistress 
helps by washing the currants, stoning the 
raisins, beating the eggs, and making the 
light pastry. Often a lady who has a taste 
for cooking makes all the desserts, cakes, 
and pies. She should never consider it 
extravagant to supply herself with the best 
cooking utensils — egg-beaters, sugar-sifters, 
double-boilers, etc., and, if a good house- 
keeper, she will find both pride and pleasure 
in her jars of home-made pickles and pre- 
serves. 

Thursday the maid must sweep the house 
thoroughly, for this work, if the carpets are 
heavy, requires strength. The mistress then 



^Z 



dusts room after room, and, last of all, the 
servant follows with step-ladder to wipe ofl' 
mirrors and windows. This is morning- 
work, for the Thursday afternoon out for 
the maid is an established institution. 

Friday is commonly occupied in general 
house-cleaning: scrubbing the floors, clean- 
ing the brasses and silver, scouring the 
knives, and putting linen-closets and draw- 
ers in order. 

Saturday is filled with baking bread and 
cake, perhaps with cleaning the yard or 
other out- of door work, and in some house- 
holds with preparing the Sunday dinner; 
and the toil of the week closes with a thor- 
oughly swept and orderly house, a clean 
kitchen, and all the cooking done except 
the meat and vegetables for the Sunday 
dinner. 

Of course the routine given above will 
not suit all families ; many persons may pre- 
fer to make a diflerent apportionment of their 
work ; but whatever the system fixed upon 
may be, it should be rigidly carried out, and 
the maid should receive all the help in her 
manifold duties that punctuality and order 
bestow. 

Under the most favorable circumstances 
it is a credit to any mistress to carry on the 
work of a house through the week, with 
three meals daily, and to accomplish it she 
must be capable of doing much of the light 
work herself and be careful to secure a strong 
and willing maid servant. 

Svt^eeping and Cleaning. 

When preparing to sweep a room, it is 
important to begin by dusting all the 
bric-a-brac and carrying it to a place of 
safety. The smaller articles can be placed 
in a wide shallow basket kept expressly for 
this purpose, or on a tray. Next, with a 
soft cheese-cloth or other duster and a whisk, 
Hean carefully all the upholstered furniture ; 
carrying out the small articles, and covering 
the larger ones with dusting sheets. The 
glass globes of gas fixtures must be washed 
in warm, soapy watei, j'nd rinsed in cold 
water, in which a little whiting has been 
dissolved. Shake the window curtains and 
fold them up as high as you can reach ; pin 
them there, taking care not to tear thejfc. ., 



68 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



dust the shades with a feather brush and 
roll them up as high as they will go. 

Brush down the walls, carefully dust the 
picture frames, and then begin your sweep- 
ing. Use a whisk to rid the corners and 
the edges of the carpet of dust, then gently, 
but with a steady stroke, sweep all the dirt 
into the middle of the room, and take it up 
in a dustpan. Repeat this operation to se- 
cure any dust that may have blown back. 
Should the carpet be very dusty, moist tea 
leaves or Indian meal, scattered over the 
floor before beginning to sweep, will gather 
up most of the fine dust and prevent its 
rising and settling on the walls, etc. It 
freshens and cleans a carpet wonderfully to 
wipe it thoroughly with a woolen cloth 
wrung out of water mixed with household 
ammonia. 

Ink stains in the carpet may be removed 
with salt. If they have dried, slightly 
moisten the salt with water, scatter it over 
the stains, and keep gently brushing it back 
and forth until it is quite black, substitute 
more salt, and so continue until all the ink 
is drawn out of the carpet and absorbed by 
the salt. If the ink is freshly spilled, you 
need not dampen your salt. 

Should your window panes need wash- 
ing in freezingly cold weather, it is best to 
do it with a soft cloth dipped in alcohol ; 
at other times a little whiting dissolved in 
the water adds to the brilliant transparency 
of the glass. In all cases polish with old 
newspapers. Having attended to your win- 
dows, carefully dust again the walls, pic- 
tures, gas-fixtures, and all cornices and 
moldings ; draw down your shades, unpin 
and drape your curtains ; fold up the dust 
sheets so as to gather up all the dust that 
has settled on them, and carry them from 
the room, which is ready now to be put in 
order. 

If you burn lamps, keep them scrupu- 
lously clean. Wicks soaked in strong vin- 
egar and dried before being used, will not 
smoke. Two or three times a year the part 
of the lamp containing the wick should be 
boiled in water in which washing soda has 
been dissolved ; this will improve the quality 
of the light and obviate the danger of an 
explosion. 



84 



Nickel-plated lamps must never be 
washed^ with soap, as this spoils the polish 
and makes them look like pewter. Wipe 
them, instead, with a soft cloth dipped in 
vinegar. Lamps are more satisfactory when 
attended to every day. 

Cleanliness About the House. 

It is very important that beds are prop- 
erly aired every day. The most effectual 
wajT^ to do this is to throw the clothes over 
a chair, and lift the mattress partly over the 
footboard. If a feather bed is used, pull it 
off upon a chair. Then open the windows 
and door so that a current of air can pass 
through the room, and let it remain so for 
several hours. Beds thus aired are always 
healthful, and will induce sound sleep in 
their occupants. Each member of the 
family should be taught to do this daily, 
boys as well as girls. They will reap the 
benefit of it through their lives, and be 
sure to have their children trained in the 
same way. 

A bed that is aired only occasionally 
will contract impurities from the body and 
cannot be fresh and sweet. Some persons 
hang the pillows out of the window, and 
this is an excellent plan if the dust is first 
brushed off the sill. 

"Attend," says a wise French writer, 
" as much to neatness as you do to econ- 
omy. Accustom girls never to suffer any- 
thing about them to be unclean or in 
disorder ; lead them to notice the slightest 
deiangement in a house ; say to them that 
nothing contributes more to economy and 
neatness than keeping things in their proper 
place. This may seem trifling, yet it leads 
to very important consequences ; for then 
when anything is wanted there will be no 
difficulty in finding it, and when it is done 
with it will be returned to the place from 
which it was taken. This exact order 
forms the most essential part of neatness. 
For instance, a dish will not be soiled or 
broken if it is put in its proper place as 
soon as it has been used. The carefulness 
which makes us place things in order makes 
us keep them clean. Joined to all these ad- 
vantages is that of giving to domestics a habit 
of neatness and activity by obliging them to 
place things in order and keep them clean." 



Roast Turkey 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 

Remove tendons from the legs, singe and draw the turkey ; remove pin-feathers, wasju 

and dry carefully ; fill with stufl&ng if desired ; cover the breast with thin slices of salt 

pork, scored lightly and fastened in place with strings or small skewers, and set on the 

rack of a baking pan into a hot oven. Turn the bird often that the heat may sear over 

the outside uniformly and thus keep the juices within. When this has been accomplishec^ 

that is, in about fifteen to thirty mint^tes, add a little hot water and drippings to the pan, 

and as soon as possible reduce the temperature to that of ordinary baking. Baste everj 

ten minutes, dredging with flour after each basting. When half cooked add salt to the 

flour. When the joints will separate easily the cooking is completed. Three hours are 

required to roast a ten -pound turkey. When the fowl is nearly cooked, remove the pork 

irom the breast, baste with a little butter melted in hot water and return to the oven for 

iial browning ; baste several times or until the desired color is attained. Garnish with 

water cress, cover the ends of the drum sticks with paper frills. Serve, at the same time, 

Giblet Sauce made of the browned flour in the pan, additional flour if needed, the water in 

which the giblets were cooked, and the giblets chopped, but not too fine. In America 

«aaberry sauce accompanies this roast ; in England gooseberry sauce is in evidence. 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



69 



Dust is a constant enemy of domestic 
comfort, and is a great destroyer of furni- 
ture. Inhaled into the lungs it becomes one 
of the sources of disease. Miss Nightin- 
gale remarks, with great truth : " Dusting 
in these days means nothing but flapping 
the dust from one part of a room to an- 
other, with doors and windows closed." 
A damp but not wet duster will alone re- 
move dust without scattering it. 

Causes of Unwholesomeness. 

The healthiness or unhealthiness of a 
house depends greatly upon its degree of 
cleanliness. Dirty houses are always more 
or less unwholesome. In country places 
care should be taken that no puddles of 
dirty water remain close to the house, as 
they not only render the air damp, but 
cause much dirt to be brought in on the 
feet. Slops of dirty water, tea-leaves, 
coffee-grounds, etc., should never be thrown 
out near the house, all decaying vegetable 
and animal matter being injurious. Cab- 
bage leaves, potato and apple -parings, and 
other waste vegetable matters, should never 
be thrown into the dust-bin. It is far the 
safest plan to burn them, which can always 
be done if they are first dried by throwing 
them at the back of the fire or in the ash-pit. 

The inside of a house becomes unclean not 
only from the dust carried in by the air and 
the dirt brought in by the feet, but from the 
odor given out by our skin and with the 
breath. This odor is absorbed by all porous 
substances, as the walls, floors, and ceilings, 
and gives ;rise to that close, unwholesome 
smell which is present in all unclean houses, 
especially such as are overcrowded. No 
house with such a smell can possibly be a 
healthy place to live in. This animal efflu- 
vium is taken up by some substances much 
more readily than others. Walls that are 
covered with paper smell much more offen- 
sively than those that are painted. And in 
rooms where one paper has been pasted over 
another the whole thickness of paper may 
absorb it. Painted or lime-washed walls 
are much to be preferred to paper walls for 
crowded dwellings and for sleeping-rooms. 

Woolen garments, carpets, and curtains 
absorb such odors freely, and give them out 
for a long time. Rough wooden floors also 
24 85 



take them up, and consequently require fre- 
quent washing. For this reason smoothed, 
waxed, or painted floors are preferable to 
rough wooden ones. 

The wholesomeness of a dwelling is 
much increased by frequently whitewashing 
such parts of it as can be treated in this 
manner — the cellar, storeroom, etc. The 
dirt and old whitewash should be first 
washed away with a brush and abundance 
of clean water. 

Care of Floors. 

Floors should not be scrubbed too fre- 
quently. Once a week is generally suffi- 
cient. In damp weather wet floors dry very 
slowly, and the house remains damp and 
cold for a considerable time. It is better, 
in all cases, to defer the scrubbing even for 
a week than to wet the floors on a damp and 
rainy day. In cases of illness this is par- 
ticularly important. It should be a fixed 
rule that floors, particularly those of sleep- 
ing-rooms, are to be scrubbed only on dry 
days. 

Bones, old shoes and boots, dirty woolen 
rags, and pieces of carpet are often allowed 
to lie about the hoiise. These render the 
air impure, and consequently unwholesome, 
are exceedingly apt to become mouldy, har- 
bor vermin, serve as breeding places for the 
clothes-moth, and retain tenaciously any 
infection to which they may have been ex- 
posed. Such things should always be got 
rid of ; if not sold at once, they had better 
be given away, if of any value, or else burnt, 
rather than be kept to render the air of the 
house impure. 

Wash as often as convenient. Dirty 
clothes put by for weeks are more difficult 
to clean the longer they remain dirty ; they 
acquire a permanent bad color, and in damp 
places are apt to become mildewed and 
rotten. 

Remove all stains as soon as possible ; 
leave nothing long enough to fix itself thor- 
oughly to the cloth ; wash out grease, gravy, 
fruit-stains, etc., before putting anything 
to one side. Fruit- stains yield readily to 
bleaching-powder, especially if, after being 
put on, it is moistened with a drop of some 
acid, as vinegar or lemon ; but neither acids 
nor bleaching-powder should be used with 



70 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



colored things. Ink-stains should never be 
put into soapy or soda water or lye, as 
they directly become iron-molds ; but they 
should be instantly wetted with clean water, 



and may be at once removed by the appli- 
cation of a little salt of lemon or oxalic 
acid, which should be washed out imme- 
diately. 



HOUSEHOLD UTILITIES 



It is proposed, in the present section of 
our subject, to give practical advice on 
various questions of household utility, such 
as the care of clothing, the cleaning of soiled 
fabrics, the removal of stains, and other 
matters of importance which come up al- 
most daily in the experience of housekeep- 
ers. Perfumes constitute another matter of 
importance, and useful information about 
various other odds and ends of daily life ex- 
perience is given, suggestions which cannot 
fail to be of great utility to all who have the 
care of a family on their hands. In life 
within doors endless questions of what and 
how to do under certain circumstances arise, 
and it is with these exigencies of daily life 
that we shall here deal. 



Care of Furs, 



Feathers 
Goods. 



and Woolen 



Many things and substances are recom- 
mended for the destruction of injurious in- 
sects. Pliny says that the Romans used 
citron to preserve their woolen garments 
from moths. We have found that the in- 
sects which injure furs, feathers, and woolen 
goods may be destroyed by the Indian 
chestnut, cloves, walnut leaves, or common 
salt. Still more useful as preservatives are 
cedar chips, pepper, and camphor (in large 
pieces, for when broken it loses strength). 

Whatever the remedy selected, it is nec- 
essary in the first place to carefully shake, 
beat and brush the furs (against the grain), 
and all other articles which are to be put 
away when the season is over. They should 
then be sprinkled with pepper or camphor, 
and wrapped in a cloth which has been 
washed in lye water. Close the parcel care- 
ully, and place in a chest into which some 
insect powder has been sprinkled. It is 
well to put away feathers in empty cigar 
boxes. 

If one owns a cedar chest, or has closets 
vhich are wainscoted with cedar, it is suf- 



86 



ficient to hang up the articles after having 
well brushed and shaken them. 

Other methods may be employed to get 
.id of moths. A liquor of one quart of 
alcohol and the same quantity of essence of 
turpentine, and sixty-five grammes of cam- 
phor, is sometimes used. This should be 
kept in an earthenware jug, and well shaken 
before using. When the winter garments 
are put away, soak pieces of blotting paper 
in the liquid, and scatter among the furs and 
flannels, which should be rolled up in white 
cloths. Place one layer at the bottom, one 
above the article, and one at each side. 

If one has no such chest, then, after 
having shaken and brushed the articles, fold 
them separately in linen paper, sprinkle 
with pepper and camphor, roll each parcel 
in newspaper, do the package up in white 
cloth, and hang in a closet or dark room. 

Clean furs by rubbing them against the 
grain with heated bran. Use magnesia for 
white furs. 

Cleaning of Lace. 

Fine laces should be washed as sel- 
dom as possible ; but when it is necessary, 
most women prefer to have them washed 
under their own eyes. Make hot soap 
suds with rain water and glj'cerine soap. 
The laces, after having been rolled on 
a glass bottle under a band of linen, must 
be put in the suds and remain there for 
twelve hours. Renew the soap suds three 
times, plunge the bottle into soft and 
clear water, and take it out immediately. 
The soap which remains serves to give some 
stifiness to the lace when pressed by a hot 
iron. Pin each point down under a fine 
muslin, and iron on the wrong side. When 
all is finished, raise each flower by a suitable 
pointed instrument. 

Laces may be bleached by being exposed 
to the sunlight in soap suds. The points 
are afterward dried on a cloth to which they 
are pinned. They are then rubbed carefully 



THE MODEL COOK BOOlC 



71 



by the aid of a sponge dipped in soap suds 
of glycerine soap. First clean one side, and 
then the other. Rinse in clear water, in 
which a little alum is dissolved, to remove 
the soap. 

A little rice water should be passed over 
the wrong side of the lace with a sponge ; 
then it is to be ironed, and when finished 
the flowers should be picked out as in the 
above method. If the lace is not very much 
soiled, it can be cleaned with bread crumbs. 

As for cream-colored laces, they should 
be boiled for one hour in soapy bluing 
water, then taken out and the operation re- 
peated twice, always in fresh water. The 
third time there should be no bluing in the 
water, and it should not be rinsed. The 
lace should afterward be put in gum water, 
with a little brandy and alum dissolved in 
it. Then powder lightly with sulphur 
flour and iron while damp. 

Valenciennes should be folded together 
{\\ a regular length, sewed in a sack of fine 
white linen, and soaked in olive oil for 
twelve hours. Afterward put some sliced 
pure soap in water and boil the sack con- 
taining the lace for fifteen minutes. Rinse 
well, dip in a thin rice water, then rip open 
the sack and pin down the lace to dry. 
Iron it under a muslin cloth. 

Black laces should also be folded in a 
short package and kept in place by stitching 
at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom. 
Dip the lace in beer and roll it with the hands, 
not rubbing too much to clean it. When it 
is taken out of the beer, press it between the 
hands without wringing, then roll it in a 
cloth. Iron it after it has been partly dried, 
according to the desired stiffness. To iron 
it, stretch it on a thick flannel, and let it re- 
main there. Cover it with a thin piece of 
muslin to prevent* the iron from making it 
glossy. 

When gowns trimmed with lace are put 
away, cover the lace with silver paper. 

To cleanse silver laces and braids, put 
them in a sack of white linen, which dip into 
one pint of water, adding sixty grams of 
soap. Boil well, and rinse in cold water. 
Apply a little spirits of wine to the tarnished 
places 



H. C. Pros. 



87 



Cleaning Woolen Goods. 

Clean rose-colored cashmere by washing 
in cold soapsuds. If you attempt to put 
dye in the water, the material will be spoiled. 
Rinse well in cold water, and dry in the shade. 

To clean white serge, use a decoction of 
soap wort roots. The gown when washed 
will be white and soft to the touch. Soap 
hardens stuff goods, and makes them yellow. 

Knitted or crocheted garments should be 
washed in the following manner: cut one 
pound of soap in thin slices, and melt in a 
little water until it has the consistency of 
jelly. When the preparation has cooled, 
beat it up with the hand, and add three spoon- 
fuls of grated stag's horn. Wash the whole 
material in this mixture, and rinse well in 
cold water. If necessary, dip the articles a 
second time in salt water to fix the color. 
Place before the fire ; stir frequently in order 
to let the dampness evaporate ; be sure not 
to stretch the articles out to dry. 

To clean a faded black cashmere, rub it 
width by width with a sponge soaked in a 
solution of alcohol and ammonia, equal 
parts, diluted with hot water. 

Wash merinos and cashmeres in warm 
water into which Irish potatoes have been 
scraped. Rinse in good soft water. These 
materials should not be wrung out. They 
should be spread smoothly on a line where 
they may drip, and should be allowed to be- 
come partly dry before ironing. 

Black merinos, cloaks, gentlemen^s 
clothes, or woolen goods generally, may be 
cleaned with carbonate of ammonia, which 
must be poured into boiling water and 
allowed to become cold. Meanwhile, brush 
the stuff thoroughly with a hard brush, lay- 
ing it upon a large newspaper, and brushing 
both sides, where possible. 

Then take a large piece of black cloth or 
other material, dip it into the liquid, and 
wash the stuff well. If the fabric be cloth, 
care must be taken to wash it the right way, 
so as to keep it smooth. When washed, fold 
the material in half, and place it in a clean 
towel, laying one piece over the other in 
case the garment has been taken to pieces. 
Iron the wt'ong side, laying the stuff on a 
thickly folded blanket or sheet, with a thin 
sheet of paper, or other thin material, over 



72 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



the blanket or sheet. Iron each piece on 
the wrong side until quite dry. Then fold 
the pieces, but be careful not to fold so as 
to crease them, especiall)^ cloth. Gentle- 
men's clothes can be cleaned in this way 
without taking to pieces, or ironing, unless 
convenient. Vest and coat collars are 
easily renovated, and grease spots and white 
seams removed. 

Colored Fabrics. 

Nearly all colored fabrics stain the water 
used to clean them, and that without losing 
their own brightness in any way. No article 
of a diflferent color should be plunged into a 
wash or rinse so stained, and no colored 
article should be rinsed in a blued lather. 
Scarlet is particularly likely to color wash 
water. 

Colors are often improved by the use of 
certain substances in the wash or rinse- 
Sugar of lead has the credit of fixing all 
colors when first cleaned, and may be used 
with those likely to run. To brighten 
colors, mix some ox-gall with the water. 
Of course the quantity must be regulated by 
the quantity of suds in the wash and rinse. 
For buff and cream-colored alpaca or cash- 
mere, mix in the wash and rinse a small 
quantity of friar's balsam for one skirt. 
For a dress of black materials, use a little 
ammonia in the wash and rinse. For violet, 
also put ammonia, or a small quantity of 
soda, in the rinsing water ; but it must be 
borne in mind that some violets and mauves 
fade in soda. For green, use vinegar in the 
rinse, in the proportion of two tablespoon- 
fuls of vinegar to a quart of rinse. For 
blue, to one dress, put a good handful of 
common salt in the rinse. For brown and 
gray, use ox-gall. For white, blue the 
water with laundry blue. 

Blankets may be similarly dealt with. 
Pull them out well, while wet, in both di- 
rections, two persons pulling. When half 
dry it is a good plan to take them off the 
line and pull them again ; and when quite 
dry, give them a little more pulling out. 
This keeps them open and soft. Never use 
?oda to them, and never rinse them in plain 
water or rub on soap. 



SS 



Flannels. 

It is very important, in washing flannels 
to prevent shrinkage. The articles should 
be ivashed and linsed in water of the same 
temperature, and not allowed to cool be- 
tween. Do not rub soap on the goods. 
Use a strong suds, about as hot as the hands 
can bear ; rub through two soapy waters ; 
wring out and rinse in plenty of warm, 
clean water ; then in another water of same 
temperature, blued a little. Wring, shake 
well, and hang up, but not in a freezing air ; 
better dry them in the house, unless a 
warm sun is shining. Flannels should dry 
quickly. 

Colored flannels should not be washed 
in the water after white clothes, or when 
dry they will be found covered with lint ; 
they had better be washed in a separate 
water. Blue flannel requires bran water 
without soap. When rinsing, throw a hand- 
ful of salt in the water to preserve the color. 
Flannels that have become yellow from bad 
washing, may be whitened by soaking them 
in a lather made of a quarter pound of soft 
soap, two tablespoonfuls of powdered borax, 
and the same quantity of carbonate of am- 
monia, dissolved in five or six gallons of 
water. 

Care of Muslins 

Muslin dresses, even of the most delicate 
colors, can be cleaned in ten minutes or a 
quarter of an hour, without losing their 
color. Melt half a pound of soap in a gallon 
of water ; empty this into a washing tub ; 
place nearby two other large tubs of clean 
water, and stir in one a quart of bran . Put the 
muslin in the soap, turn it over, and knead 
it for a few minutes; squeeze it out well, 
and rinse for some minutes in the bran, and 
for two minutes more in clear water. Then 
hang between two lines. ' In the case of a 
colored pattern on a white ground do not 
use blue. 

In starching colored muslins use white 
starch, made with boiling water. Dip the 
dress in this, and, after drying, rinse quickly 
in clean water. Sprinkle and roll, and 
afterwards iron with very hot irons. 

For white muslins, lace curtains, etc., 
proceed as above, but use blue in the starch. 



FHE MODEL COOK BOOK 



73 



Morning cambric dresses may be cleaned in 
the same way as muslins, but may need 
some rubbing. Chintz may be cleaned in 
the same manner. 

There are certain advantages in this pro- 
cess, which is so rapid that the colors have 
not time to run, the fabric is not rubbed or 
strained, and the work is done so quickly 
as greatly to reduce the labor involved. 

Silks. 

Lay the silk smoothly on a clean board , 
rub soap upon it, and wipe it with a piece 
of velvet. Never brush it ; the brush ruins it. 
When it has been in this manner cleansed 
from grease and dirt, it should be washed 
on both sides with clean cold water. A 
little alum in this water will prevent the 
colors from spreading. Should there be 
any patches of grease upon the silk, they 
should be removed with ammonia or a little 
camphine and alcohol. Folding or wring- 
ing silk when wet must be carefully 
avoided, since creases made in wet silk 
never disappear; and, in like manner, hot 
suds must not be used for washing silk, as 
it will in most instances remove the colors. 

Silks are easily cleaned if one knows 
how to work carefully. Mix the following 
well together : Fifty grams of honey, as 
much soft soap, one gill of brandy. Rip 
the gown, place in cold water, spread on a 
table, and rub well with a brush dipped in 
the mixture. Rinse three times in a pail 
of water, into which sixty-five grams of 
gum have been dissolved. Let the garment 
drip without being wrung, and iron on the 
wrong side. 

Another recipe : Grate five Irish pota- 
toes in clear cold water. If the silk is thin, 
slice the potatoes instead of grating. Wash 
them well before grating or slicing. Let 
the prepared water stand for twenty-four 
hours before using. Then strain the liquid. 
iDip the silk in without rumpling it ; spread 
it on a table, wipe both sides with a clean 
towel, and iron on the wrong side. 

Grease stains may be removed either 
with chalk, magnesia, or ether, or with the 
yolk of an ^^'g and water. Clean white 
brocaded silk with bread crumbs. Plain 
silk requires the following process : Dis- 
solve soft soap in water as hot as the hands 



89 



can bear ; rub the silk between the hands in 
the soapy water ; rinse in warm water, and 
dry by pinning on a cloth. 

Nothing is so good for black silk, and, 
in fact, for many materials, as beef gall. 
Throw the gall-bladder into as much boiling 
water as you care to use. Spread the ma- 
terial on a table, and with a sponge dipped 
in the liquid clean tlie silk on both sides. 
Rinse in clear water, still on the table, on 
both sides with a sponge. Dissolve a little 
gum arable or gelatine in the water, moisten 
the sponge with it, and pass it over the 
wrong side of the silk. Pin the silk on a 
cloth to dry it. 

A good way of removing grease stains 
from black silk is to rub them very vigor- 
ously with a piece of brown wrapping 
paper. 

Velvets. 

Velvet garments which have been stained, 
or worn, or have grown glossy, may be reno- 
vated so as to look new. The garment must, 
of course, be ripped, breadth by breadth, piece 
by piece. Then put burning coals in a chaf- 
ing dish, and place on this dish a platter of 
thick brass. When it is very hot, cover it 
\\ith a thickly folded cloth dampened in 
boiling water. Spread on this cloth the 
velvet, wrong side out. Do not be fright- 
ened if you see a black vapor arise. Pass a 
brush very lightly over the velvet. Let it 
dry stretched smoothly on a table. 

When the velvet has been crushed, turn 
it wrong side out, and hold it above boiling 
water, exposed to the vapor. Brush it 
against the grain. 

Before putting away gowns, mantles, 
plush or velvet jackets, the dust should be 
removed. To do this, spread some fine 
white sand over the material. Brush it un- 
til the last grain of sand has disappeared. 
If mud stains are on the garment, dilute 
beef gall and a little spirits of wine in boil- 
ing water. Wet a soft brush in the mix- 
ture, and rub the stain, repeating as often 
as necessary. Apply to the back of the 
material a thin solution of gum. 

Veils, Hats, Etc. 

Wash faded ribbons in cold soapsuds. 
Rinse, shake out, spread on the ironing-boan ' , 
and cover with muslin, ironing while damp. 



74 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Women in mourning frequently discard 
long crape veils and trimmings, not because 
they are ruined by the rain, but because 
they do not know bow to care properly for 
this material when it is wet. It should be 
dried immediately, spreading it out, but not 
near the fire. If it is stained with mud, 
clean it with cold water, and dry awaj^from 
the fire, air, and sunshine. English crape, 
when it has become limp, should be damp- 
ened with brandy, then rolled on a roller. 
Moisten it at each turn, and evenly through- 
out. Milk may also be used to dampen 
crape and to restore its color, but the crape 
should be carefully sponged afterward with 
water. 

Black thread stockings may be washed 
as follows : Never use soap, but a suds 
made of a teacupful of bran inclosed in a 
muslin bag, thrown into warm water, and 
well stirred. First wash the stockings in 
this preparation. On taking them out of 
the water, roll them in a towel, pressing 
strongly, and dry quickly near the fire, not 
in the air. 

If this precaution be taken, the stock- 
ings will retain a fine black color, and never 
grow dingy. If they are neglected and be- 
come rusty, the color can oe restored by 
boiling them in one quart of water, into which 
a few chips of logwood have been thrown. 

Felt hats which have been wet should 
be brushed before drying. Rip off the trim- 
mings ; begin brushing at the border, and 
continue turning, always on the same side, 
until the center is reached at the very top. 
Place the hat on a mold and let it dry be- 
fore putting it away. It will be as fine and 
beautiful as when new. 

In putting gowns away for the season, 
wrap them in blue paper tightly sealed. 
White silk skirts should be placed in a sec- 
ond covering of muslin, and the bodices put 
away in cases or boxes. Fold the trains 
their full length. 

To cleanse the collars of garments, dis- 
solve one part salt in four of alcohol. Apply 
with a sponge and rub well. 

Cloth, serge, felt hats, may all be cleansed 

by dipping a hard brush, which has short 

hairs, into spirits of ammonia. Rub until 

the grease spots disappear. 

R Pros 90 



Laundry Work. 

In washing clothes, dissolve pipe-clay in 
the water, a cent's worth to four gallons. 
It will be found to clean clothing with hall 
the labor, and considerably less soap, while 
the colors of the clothes are improved. Pe- 
troleum dissolved in the water is also of 
great utility, saving much of the labor and 
soap and yielding superior results. 

Chintzes should always be washed when 
the weather is dry and suflSciently warm 
not to freeze them. If necessary to wash 
them in wet or very cold weather, it is bet- 
ter to dry by the kitchen fire than to run 
the risk of spoiling the colors by outdoor 
drying. 

To Wash Chenille Curtains. — Two 
ounces ether sulphate, two ounces borax, 
two ounces soda, one cake ivory soap ; 
shave soap and let dissolve in warm water, 
then add all the ingredients to sufficient 
warm water to wash curtains in. Do not 
rub on board, but dash up and down until 
they are thoroughly clean. Do not wring 
them, but squeeze out of the water, and 
hang lengthwise in a shady place. Then 
take a whisk broom and brush until dry. 
Do not go near the fire, as ether is a danger- 
ous explosive. 

To Clean Kid Qloves and Shoes. — An 
easy way to perform this is to stretch the 
glove in some way as on the open hand, 
and rub it carefully with moistened flannel, 
having first placed a little powdered soap 
on the flannel. After the dirt has been 
thus removed, the glove should be dried by 
rubbing with dry flannel. 

To clean ladies' kid boots, dip .a rag in 
almond oil and remove all the mud, drying 
as you go, and never leaving the leather 
moist. Polish with a clean rag and more oil. 
The dulness left by this process may be re- 
moved by rubbing with the palm of the 
hand. Kid may be both cleaned and pre- 
served in this manner. 

The Removal of Stains. 

Ink stains on woolen goods and cloth 
may be removed with oxalic acid, diluted, 
or rubbed over with strong vinegar, so that 
it may not injure the stuff. This acid haS; 
however, the disadvantage of being very 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



poisonous, and must be used with caution. 
Citric and tartaric acids, which are harm- 
less, and answer the purpose as well, are to 
be preferred, especially as they may be used 
on the most delicate fabrics without any 
danger of injuring them. Thev may also 
be employed to remove marks of ink from 
books, as they do not injure printing-ink, 
into the composition of which iron does not 
enter. 

lycmon juice, milk, the juice of ripe 
tomatoes, etc., are good for ink stains on 
white goods. If the ink be spilt on a carpet 
or table cover, the stain should immediately 
be rubbed with a moistened cloth, the rub- 
bing being continued over and beyond the 
stain until the ink marks have disappeared. 
If this be done very promptly, the stain may 
be entirely removed. The work may be 
completed with a second wet cloth. 

In case the color of the material is de- 
stroyed by an acid used in removing ink 
stains, or through accident, it may be re- 
stored by rubbing the spot with ammonia. 
In the case of varnish or paint stains, rub 
with benzine or turpentine. If the stain is 
old use chloroform, but be very careful in 
its use. To remove blood stains, saturate 
with petroleum and wash in hot water. 
Grease spots from dripping candles may be 
removed with cologne water. 

Grease spots are the most disagreeable 
stains. They always spread, and are more 
offensive than others. Fortunately, there 
are many ways for getting rid of them. 

Before attempting to remove stains from 
woolen goods, place on them a piece of 
absorbent paper, pass a hot iron over it, and 
then use ammonia and soapsuds. Chloro- 
form is successfully used, and also a mix- 
ture of alcohol and ammonia. These spots 
may be also dampened with ammonia 
water, and ironed under a piece of white 
paper. 

Rub the stain with chalk on the wrong 
side of the cloth, allowing it to remain on 
all day. Many persons keep the following 
preparation to remove stains whenever 
needed : Make a stiff paste of Fuller's earth 
and vinegar. Roll into a ball and dry it. 
To use it scrape the ball on the stain, which 
must first be moistened ; allow it to dry, and 
then remove the stain with warm water. 



Here are three formulae for removing 
stains : 

First. Essence of turpentine, very pure, twen- 
ty-six grams ; alcohol at forty degrees, thirty- one 
grams ; sulphuric ether, thirty-one grams ; pour 
into the bottle, cork, and shake well. To use 
the mixture, place the material to be cleaned on 
a piece of thickly folded white cloth. Wet the 
stain thoroughly with the preparation, and rub 
lightly with a fine cloth. If the stain is an old one, 
warm the material. 

Second. Mix ammonia and ether and alcohol, 
in equal parts, thoroughly ; place on the stain a 
piece of blotting-paper ; moisten with a sponge 
dipped in water, to make it more absorbent ; wet 
it with the mixture, and rub the stain. It will 
disappear in an instant. 

The following will remove a stain of any kind : 
Pour into a large^necked bottle two quarts of pure 
spring water ; add a lump of ashes of old lees of 
wine, about the size of a nut, a lump of potash, 
two sliced lemons. Allow this to stand for twenty- 
four hours. Filter the liquid, and keep in well- 
corked bottles. When you wish to remove the 
stain, wet it with the preparation, then rub the 
spot with fresh water. 

Marble and Furniture Polish. 

A good marble polish is the following : 
Melt over a slow fire four ounces of white wax, 
and, while still warm, stir into it an equal 
weight of oil of turpentine. When these are 
fully combined, put the compound into a bot- 
tle or other vessel, which must be kept well 
corked when not in use. A little of the 
above put upon a piece of flannel and well 
rubbed upon the marble will bring the sur- 
face to a fine polish. 

To polish furniture, prepare white wax 
and oil of turpentine as above directed. A 
small quantity applied with flannel or other 
woolen cloth, and well rubbed in, is excel- 
lent for mahogany and walnut. If a yel- 
lowish tint is desiredfor light-colored wood,, 
put into the turpentine in advance a smal. 
quantity of quercitron, or dyer's oak, and 
let stand for two days. To give a reddish 
tinge, a little alkanet may be used in the 
same manner as the quercitron. 

For another furniture polish take one 
a half ounces each of alcohol and butter of 
antimony, one-half ounce of muriatic acid, 
eight ounces of linseed oil, one-half pint of 
cider vinegar; mix these cold and apply 
with Canton flannel, then rub with dry 
Canton flannel. 



91 



76 



IHE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Recipes for Cleaning. 

Steps and Flag=stones. — Where there 
are large flights of stone steps and broad 
pavements of flag-stones, the process of 
cleaning is a tedious one. To clean with 
hearthstone, or caked whiting, as usual, 
gives a smeary appearance, and washes 
off with the first shower. The following 
preparation is preferable alike for its ap- 
pearance and as a labor saving appliance, 
as it need be used but twice a week, 
washing being sufficient for the remaining 
days : Take a gallon of water, and color 
with stone-blue to a deep tint. Boil in 
this a pound of white size, and dissolve in 
the mixture a quarter pound of whiting and 
three cakes of pipe-clay, stirring well. Wash 
the steps rapidly with this solution, and 
finish with clean water in the usual way. 

Damp Walls. — Damp walls may be dealt 
with in the following manner : Mix two 
quarts of tar with two ounces of kitchen 
fat, and boil together for a quarter of an 
hour. Then add some slaked lime and very 
finely pounded glass. The lime and glass 
must be in the proportion of two to one, and 
thoroughly mixed. Apply immediately, as 
the mixture soon sets and becomes hard. A 
coat an inch thick will usually quite over- 
come the dampness, though in extreme cases 
two coats may be necessary. 

To Clean Soiled or Stained Furniture. 
— Use spirits of turpentine, and afterwards 
polish with linseed oil colored with alkanet 
root. If, however, the furniture is badly 
stained or inky, it should be washed with 
sour beer or vinegar, warm. Afterwards 
rub the stains with spirit of salts, which 
will remove them. The wood may then be 
polished, with linseed oil colored with 
alkanet root, or with beeswax, dissolved in 
turpentine, with a little copal varnish or 
resin added . 

New mahogany may be given the dark 
tint of old by washing with various sub- 
stances. Soap and water will darken some- 
what, but oil is more efficacious ; if a very 
dark tint is desired use lime water. 

Paint may be cleaned with the following 
preparation : Mix one pound of soft soap, 
two ounces of pearlash, one pint of sand and 
one of table beer. Let these simmer together 



till fully incorporated, and use the mixture 
in the manner of soap. 

Another cleaning mixture may be made 
by grating four potatoes to a pulp and mix- 
ing with a quart of water. After stirring, 
let the pulp settle and pour off the water. 
This must be applied with a sponge. 

To Clean Decanters and Water-bottles, 

When these, from containing hard water 
for a considerable time, have become coated 
in the interior with a deposit of carbon- 
ate of lime and other impurities, the easiest 
way is to use about a teaspoonful of hydro- 
chloric acid, rinsing the bottle with it. 
It will be found that the instant the acid 
comes in contact with the deposit it removes 
it, a clear solution of chloride of calcium 
being formed. The bottle should then be 
rinsed in plenty of clean water. After a de- 
canter has held port or other wines for a 
long period, a deposit of coloring matter 
will cover the interior surface of the glass. 
This may be easily cleaned off by a little 
sulphuric acid, in the manner above de- 
scribed. 

Cleaning Copper Utensils, — These can 
be given a clean, bright surface by the use 
of nitric acid. The desired surface is thus 
obtained quickly and with little trouble. 
But there is the objection that a consider- 
able quantity of nitrous fumes are given 
off, and these red vapors are at once ex- 
tremely disagreeable, and very prejudicial 
to health. Their production may be pre- 
vented by adding a little solution of bichro- 
mate of potash to the dilute nitric acid. 
This is found to answer perfectly, the 
copper surface being made clean and bright, 
without disengagement of vapors. 

To Clean and Brighten Brussels Car- 
pets. — Take a fresh beef-gall, break it into 
a clean pan ; pour one-half into a very 
clean bucket, and nearly fill it with luke- 
warm water ; take a clean, coarse cloth, and, 
having brushed the carpet well, rub it hard 
with the cloth thoroughly wet with gall- 
water ; do a small piece at a time ; have 
ready a dry coarse cloth, and rub the carpet 
dry ; so proceed until the whole carpet is 
cleaned. A few drops of carbonate of am- 
monia, in a small quantity of warm rain' 



92 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



77 



water, will change, if carefully applied, dis- 
colored spots upon carpets, and indeed all 
spots, whether produced by acids or alkalies. 
If one has the misfortune to have a carpet 
injured by whitewash, this will immediately 
restore it. 

Another recipe iox cleaning carpets is two 
and one-half bars Ivory soap, one half-pound 
powdered borax, one- fourth ounce glycer- 
ine ; shave soap fine, put in four gallons soft 
water ; heat till dissolved, then let cool 
enough to use. 

Grease on a carpet, if not of long-stand- 
ing, can be readily disposed of by washing 
the spot with hot soapsuds and borax — half 
an ounce of borax to a gallon of water. 
Use a clean cloth to wash it with, rinse in 
warm water, and wipe dry. 

To Clean Paper=Hangings. Take small 
pieces of stale bread, about two days old, 
commence at the top of the room , and with the 
crust wipe lightly downward about half a yard 
at each stroke, till the upper part of the hang- 
ings is completely cleaned all around, and 
so continue until the whole is gone over. 
This operation, if carefully performed, will 
frequently make old paper look almost equal 
to new. Great caution must be used not to 
rub the paper hard, nor to attempt cleaning 
it the cross or horizontal way. The dirty 
part of the bread must each time be cut 
away, and the piece renewed as often as 
necessary. 

To Extract 'irense from Papered Walls. 
— Dip a piece of flannel in spirits of wine, 
rub the greasy spots gently once or twice, 
and the grease will disappear. 

Oill=Marks on wall-paper, or the marks 
where inconsiderate people rest their heads, 
are a sore grief to good housekeepers, but 
they can be removed without much trouble. 
Take pipe-clay or fuller's earth and make it 
into a paste about as thick as rich cream 
with cold water ; lay it on the stain gently, 
without rubbing it in ; leave it on all night. 
It will be dry by morning, when it can be 
brushed off, and, unless an old stain, the 
grease-spots will have disappeared. If old, 
renew the application. 

To Remove Stains in Tables. — Wash 
the surface with stale beer or vinegar ; the 



93 



stains may then be removed by rubbing them 
with a rag dipped in spirits of salts. To re- 
polish, proceed as you would do with new 
work. If the work be not stained, wash the 
surface with clean spirits of turpentine, and 
repolish it with furniture oil. 

To Clean Paint, smear it over with 
whiting mixed to the consistency of com- 
mon paste in warm water. Rub the surface 
to be cleaned briskly, and wash off with pure, 
cold water. Grease spots will in this way 
be almost instantly removed, as well as 
other filth, and the paint will retain its bril- 
liancy and beauty unimpaired. 

Removal of Dry Putty. — The difficulty 
of removing hard putty from a window-sash 
can be obviated with great readiness by 
simply applying a piece of heated metal, 
such as a soldering-iron or other similar im- 
plement. When heated (but not red hot), 
the iron is to be passed slowly over the putty, 
thereby rendering the latter so soft that it 
can be cut or scraped off without difficulty. 

To Clean Straw flatting. — Wash as 
seldom as possible, but when it is necesssry 
to do so use salt and water. Salt prevents 
the matting from turning yellow. Dry as 
fast as you wash, and wash but a little at a 
time. 

To Remove Mold from Fabrics. — Rub 
them over with butter, and then apply pot- 
ash moistened in a little water, and rub the 
spot until all traces of it disappear ; then 
wash in plenty of water to take out the pot- 
ash ; or the moldy spot may be wetted with 
yellow sulphide of ammonia, by which it 
will be immediately blackened. After a 
couple of minutes wash it off, and remove 
the black stain with cold, weak chlorohydric 
acid ; then wash well with warmish water. 

Cleansing Picture Frames. — Black 
walnut frames will become dull and rusty- 
looking. They may be renewed by first 
brushing thoroughly with a stiff brush to re- 
move dust, and then applying pure linseed 
oil with a proper brush ; in the absence of a 
brush, a piece of new bleached muslin will 
answer the purpose. 

To Clean Mirrors, Looking=Qlasses, 
Etc. — Take a soft sponge, wash it well in 
clean water, and squeeze it as dry as 



78 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



possible ; dip it into some spirits of wine and 
rub over the glass ; then have some powder- 
blue tied up in a rag, dust it over your 
glass, and rub it lightly and quickly with a 
soft cloth ; afterward finish with a silk hand- 
kerchief. 

To Take Stains Out of Harble.— Mix 
unslaked lime in finest powder with the 
strongest soap-lye, pretty thick, and in- 
stantly with a painter's brush lay it on the 
whole of the marble. In two months' time 
wash it off perfectly clean ; then have ready 
a fine thick lather of soft soap, boiled in 
soft water ; dip a brush in it and scour the 
marble. This will, with very good rubbing, 
give a beautiful polish. 

To Take Iron Stains Out of flarble. — 

An equal quantity of fresh spirits of vitriol 
and lemon-juice being mixed in a bottle, 
shake it well ; wet the spots, and in a few 
minutes rub with soft linen till they dis- 
appear. 

Marble can be nicely cleaned in the fol- 
lowing manner : Pulverize a little bluestone, 
and mix with four ounces of whiting ; add 
to these four ounces of soft soap and one 
ounce of soda, dissolved in a very little 
water. Boil this preparation over a slow 
fire fifteen minutes, stirring all the time. 
L,ay it on the marble while hot with a clean 
brush. Let it remain half an hour ; then 
wash off in clean suds, wipe dry, and polish 
by quick rubbing. If marble is smoked or 
soiled, either by bituminous coal or too free 
use of kindling wood, Spanish whiting with 
a piece of washing soda, rubbed together 
and wet with only enough water to moisten 
and make them into a paste, will remove the 
grease and smoke. Dip a piece of flannel in 
this preparation and rub the spots while the 
paste is quite moist. Leave the paste on for 
hours, and, if need be, remove it and renew 
with fresh paste. When the spots disappear, 
wash the place with clean hot soapsuds, 
wipe dry, and polish with chamois skin. 

To Take Bruises Out of Furniture. — 

Wet the part with warm water ; double a 
piece of brown paper five or six times, soak 
it and lay it on the place ; apply on that a 
hot flat-iron till the moisture is evaporated. 
If the bruise be not gone, repeat the process 



After two or three applications the dent oi 
bruise will be raised level with the surface. 

Lamp=Chimneys can be prevented from 
cracking, when exposed to the burning 
flame, by first placing them in a vessel of 
cold water and bringing this to a boil over 
the fire, then removing the vessel and allow- 
ing it to cool before taking out the cylinder. 

To Remove Glass Stoppers. — When the 
stopper of a glass decanter is too tight, a 
cloth wet with hot water and applied to the 
neck will cause the glass to expand, and 
the stopper may be removed. In a phial 
the warmth of the finger may be sufficient. 

Household Pests. 

To Destroy Crickets or Roaches. — Put 

some strong snuff in the cracks and holes 
in which they hide. The parings of cucum- 
bers will, if strewn about near their holes, 
drive them away. Roaches devour greedily 
flour paste, and die while eating it, if into 
half a pint of it, while hot, a dime's worth 
of phosphorus is stirred with a stick. 

To Destroy Flies. — Take strong green 
tea, sweetened well, and set in saucers about 
the places where they are most numerous. 
To destroy them in this way is preferable to 
the use of fly-papers, which catch the insects 
alive, and cause them to die a slow death. 

Rat Poison. — A tasteless, odorless, and 
infallible rat poison is made as follows : 
Mix carbonate of barytes, two ounces, with 
grease, one pound. It produces great thirst, 
consequently water must be set by it, for 
death takes place immediately after drink- 
ing, not giving them time to go back to 
their holes. Be sure no other animal can 
get at it, except rats and mice, for it is a 
most deadly poison. 

Persian Insect Powder is an unfailing 
bed-bug poison. It is not poisonous, but 
none the less is sure death to all insects. It 
is blown with an insect gun into all cracks, 
crevices, and places where bugs can find an 
entrance. This has been tried and found to 
be efficacious in hundreds of instances. To 
wash bedsteads with coal oil will also clear 
them of bugs. 

To Get Rid of Ants.- -Wash your shelves 
dow» glean, and while damp rub fine salt 



9-^ 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



79 



on them quite thick ; let it remain on them 
for some time, and red ants will disappear. 

Another remedy for ants may be made 
of half a pound flour of sulphur and four 
ounces potash. Put them over the fire in 
an earthen pan till they dissolve and unite. 
When cold, beat them to a powder, put a 
little of this into water, and sprinkle the in- 
fested places. The ants will leave. 

An Insect Remedy. — Dissolve two ounces 
ot alum in three or four quarts of water, 
letting it remain over night, until the alum 
is thoroughly dissolved. Then apply it, 
boiling hot, with a brush, to every joint or 
crevice that is infested by ants, roaches, 
bed-bugs, etc. Brush all the cracks in the 
floor and mop-boards. Keep it boiling hot 
while using. 

Rats and Mosquitoes. — A bottle of the 
oil of pennyroyal, left uncorked in a room 
at night, will dispose of mosquitoes. Not 
one will be found in the morning. Rats 
may be dealt with by mixing potash with 
meal and throwing it into their holes. If a 
rat or a mouse gets into the pantry, stuff 
into its hole a rag saturated with cayenne 
pepper. That pathway to the pantry will 
be deserted. 

Other Recipes. 

A Simple Disinfectant. — Put into a 
saucer some fresh-ground coffee, and in its 
centre place a small piece of gum camphor, 
which set on fire with a match. As it 
burns add coffee enough to burn with it. 
It gives a very pleasant perfume, much 
more agreeable than that of pas tiles, and it 
is much cheaper. 

Glass and China Cement. — Curdle a 
half pint of milk with the same quantity of 
vinegar ; separate the curd from the whey, 
and mix the latter with the whites of four 
or five eggs, beating them well together. 
Add a little quicklime, through a sieve, to 
make a thick paste. This cement dries 
quickly and resists the action of fire and 
water. 

Another cement may be made by stirring 
plaster of Paris into a thick solution of gum 
arable, bringing it to the consistency of 
cream. This is white in color and is very 
well adapted to mend china. After three 
days it cannot be broken in the same place. 



95 



Still another is made of four ounces of 
crushed orange-shellac, and three of strong 
rectified spirits of wine or wood naphtha. 
The spirits of wine is preferable. Dissolve 
the shellac in the spirits, in a corked bottle 
kept in a warm place. The process is aided 
by shaking, and the composition must be 
shaken before using. It can be used as a 
varnish for unpainted wood. 

To mend glassware, dissolve boiled isin- 
glass in spirits of wine, half the quantity of 
spirits being added to the isinglass. This 
is a transparent cement, which makes it 
very suitable for mending glassware. 

Cracks in Floors. — These may be filled 
neatly and permanently by thoroughly soak- 
ing newspapers in paste made of half a 
pound of flour, three quarts of water and 
half a pound of alum. The mixture will 
be about as thick as putty. It can be forced 
into the cracks with a case-knife, and 
smoothed on top. It will harden like 
papier-mache. 

Cracks in Plaster. — A good filling is 
plaster of Paris mixed with vinegar, which 
will not set for twenty or thirty minutes, 
while water will set very quickly, often be- 
fore you can use it. The putty-like mass 
must be pushed into the cracks, and can be 
smoothed off evenly with a table-knife. 

To Prevent Mold.— Add to paste, ink, 
mucilage, or other substance liable to 
mold, a little carbolic acid. An ounce of 
this acid to a gallon of whitewash will keep 
cellars and dairies from the disagreeable 
odor which is apt to taint milk or meat in 
such places. 

To preserve glasses of jelly from mold, 
lay on the top of the jelly a piece of paraf- 
fine, and let it melt and spread over it. Or 
the parafiine can be melted and poured over 
the jelly when cold. This renders unnec- 
essary brandy-paper or other covering. 

Spots on Furniture and Fabrics. — 

These may be removed by a wash of four 
ounces of ammonia, one ounce each of 
glycerine, castile soap, and spirits of wine. 
The soap must be dissolved in two quarts 
of warm water, and the other ingredients 
added. Apply with a soft sponge. This 
wash is very good for silks. 



8o 



THE MODEL COOK BOOK 



Another furniture wash may be made by 
mixing a half pint of 95 per cent, alcohol, 
a quarter ounce each of powdered resin and 
gum shellac, and a half pint of linseed oil. 
Shake these well together and apply with a 
brush or sponge to stains, spots, or mildew. 

To Freshen Gilt Frames. — Dust care- 
fully, then wash with one ounce of soda 
beaten up with the whites of three eggs. 
Where scratched, patch up with gold paint. 
To clean oil paintings use castile soap and 
water, very carefully applied. 

Gilt may also be brightened by adding 
to a pint or two of water sufficient flour of 
sulphur to give it a golden tinge. In this 
boil four or five onions, or a quantity of 



garlic. Strain off the liquid, and wash the 
gilding with a soft brush. When dry it 
will look like new work. 

To Take Out Paint. — Mix ammonia 
and turpentine in equal parts, saturate the 
spot two or three times, and wash out with 
soapsuds. This will take out paint from 
clothing even if dry and hard. Paint spots 
on window glass can be removed with ten 
cents' worth of oxalic acid dissolved in a 
pint of hot water. While applying it to the 
spots, take care that the acid does not touch 
the hands. Brasses may be quickly cleaned 
with this wash ; but it must not be kept 
after using, as it is a deadly poison. 



BRIEF RECIPES FOR HOUSEKEEPERS 



A little quicklime placed in the infested places 
will drive away any kind of ants. 

Burning sulphur in a tightly-closed room will 
kill almost all kinds of insect life and their eggs 
and larvae. 

How to Make Leather Waterproof. — Saturate 
it with castor oil ; to stop shoes squeaking, drive a 
ppg into the middle of the sole. 

How to Wash Colored Calicoes. — Dissolve 5 
cents' worth of sugar of lead in 3 to 4 quarts of pure 
water (rain-water is best), and, after the garments 
are washed and rinsed, let them be dipped in and 
wrung out ; it sets the color and keeps it. 

How to Remove Tar from Cloth. — Rub it well 
with turpentine, and every trace of tar will be 
removed. 

How to Set the Color in Lawn. — Dissolve a 
half-pound of saltpetre in a pailful of water, and 
dip the lawn in it several times before washing. 

How to Remove Egg Stains from Spoons. — 
Rub with common salt. 

Hozu to Remove the Stains of Fruit from the 
Hands. — Wash your hands in clear water, dry 
slightly, and while yet moist, strike a sulphur 
match and hold your hands around the flame. The 
stains will immediately disappear. 

How to Clean Furniture. — Rul) with cotton 
waste, dipped in boiled linseed oil ; then rub clean 
and dry with a soft flannel cloth. 

How to Test 'whether an .-h-tiLle is Gilt or 
Made of a Cold-colored Alloy. — A solution of bi- 
chloride of copper makes a brown spot on alloy, 
but produces no effect on a surface of gold. 

How to Restore Gilt Frames. — Rub with a 
sponge moistened in turpentine. 

How to Clean Gloves. — Pour a little benzine 
into a basin and wash the gloves in it, rubbing and 
squeezing them until clean. If much soiled, they 
must be washed through clean benzine, and rinsed 
in a fresh supply. Hang up iu the air to dry. 



96 



Hoiu to Clean Hair Brushes. — Dissolve a little 
soda in warm water, and pour in a small amount of 
ammonia. Hold the brushes with the bristles 
downward, and avoid wetting the back as far as 
possible ; shake until the grease is removed. Then 
rinse in cold water, and put in the air to dry. 

How to Clean Hair. — Wash well with a mix- 
ture of soft water, i pint ; sal-soda, i ounce ; cream 
tartar, % ounce. 

How to Remove Stains from Linen. — Wet the 
part stained, and lay on it some salt of wormwood; 
then rub without diluting it with more water. 

How to Remove Mildew from, Cloth. — Put a 
teaspoonful of chloride of lime into a quart of water, 
strain it twice, then dip the mildewed places in this 
weak solution ; lay in the sun. If the mildew has 
not disappeared when dry, repeat. 

Hozv to Cure Mosquito Bites. — Put 10 drops of 
refined carbolic acid into an ounce of rose water ; 
shake well, and apply as needed. If you hold your 
breath when a mosquito has its bill in you it can- 
not withdraw it until you breathe again. 

How to Remove Paint from Dress Goods. — 
When the color of a fabric has been destroyed by 
an acid, ammonia is applied to neutralize the same; 
after which an application of chloroform will, in 
almost all cases, restore the original color. 

Hozv to Color Dress Goods Red. — i ounce of 
cochineal, i ounce of muriate of tin, and a little 
cream of tartar for each pound of goods, dissolved 
in enough water to cover them. Boil the goods in 
this dye 10 minutes. Hang up to dry. 

How to Remove a Rusty Sc^ew. — Apply a red- 
hot iron to the head for a short time, the screw- 
driver being applied immediately while the screw 
is hot. 

Hoiu to Prevent Starch from Souring when 
Boiled.— A.Adi a litlle sulphate of copper. 




A QUIET LULLABY. 

" Beat upon mine, little heart! heat, heat! 
Beat upon mine! you are mine, my sweet! 
All mine from your pretty hlue eyes to your feet. 
My sweet!'' 



BOOK II. 

ATTRACTIVE 
HOME DECORATIONS 

Every woman should desire her house to be as comfortable and as beau- 
tiful as her taste and means will permit. This department will be welcomed 
joyfully by every housewife. It shows how to make common things serve 
a double purpose of decoration as well as usefulness, with very little expendi- 
ture either of time or money. There are here also instructions for decorating 
the house suitably for various occasions, directions for doing fancy work of 
various kinds in leisure hours, and taking care of pet animals, plants, etc., in 
the house. This department lifts the whole work out of the ordinary class 
of household reference books, and appeals in a healthful way to the beauty- 
loving instincts of every woman. 



ATTRACTIVE 
HOME DECORATIONS 

SOME COMMON THINGS MADE BEAUTIFUL— CHEAP AND EASY 
METHODS FOR HOME USE 



The growing love for artistically attrac- 
tive rooms, in cases where the purse does 
not permit free application to the uphol- 
sterer or the domestic art establishment, 
)eads to many ingenious devices to bring 
beauty out of homeliness, and to produce 
both from cast-off and useless lumber, and 
material of more value, articles of ornament 
for parlor or chamber ; while the skill in 
knitting, crocheting, and other arts of the 
fingers possessed by many ladies aids im- 
mensely in converting homely rooms into 
charming and attractive ones. It is pro- 
posed here to give some examples of deco- 
rations both of the homely and the more 
expensive order, which may serve as useful 
suggestions for many other articles made 
from materials in the possession of our 
readers, or in accordance with their tastes 
and the means at their command. 

A Rustic Rug — Even such homely stuff 
as the coarse material of a coffee bag, or 
coarse sacking of any description, may be 
made into an attractive rug in the manner 
here described : 

Cut the stuff to the shape required. 
Then, having prepared strips of woolen 
material half an inch wide, darn them with 
a coarse needle in and out through the sack- 
ing, leaving between each strip loops an 
inch in height. The colors of the wool may 
be diversified according to taste. For in- 
stance, there may be a black border, with a 
centre of a single shade, or of a variety of 
bright colors. 

29 R 99 



After the work is ended, the whole sur- 
face may be clipped evenly. A very tasty 
rug can be made in this simple and easy 
manner. 

A Simple Wardrobe. — A wardrobe of 
attractive appearance can be made by any 
one of ordinary ingenuity. To do so take 
two boards a foot wide and five feet high. 
Place these the distance apart desired for 
the width of the wardrobe, and connect them 
with similar boards top and bottom, mak- 
ing an improvised open framework. Cast- 
ers shouLl be placed in the four bottom 
corners, and brass rings screwed into each 
end of the top board. 

Next prepare a pair of curtains sulE- 
ciently wide and long, hem the top, slip a 
brass wire through the hem, and pass the 
ends of the wires through the rings, letting 
the curtains fall to the floor. The side- 
boards of the wardrobe can be stained or 
treated in any way desired. Finally, ward- 
robe hooks can be procured and screwed 
into the upper board. 

Bookcase, — A bookcase suitable for 
ordinary purposes may be improvised from 
an old bureau which has lost its mirror, by 
placing above it a set of shelves, made by 
two upright boards screwed to the sides of 
the bureau, and two or three cross ones. 
Paint and brass handles will serve to make 
the old bureau look new. By screwing brass 
rings into the ends of the top shelf and slip- 
ping a rod through them, curtains may be 
hung of any stuff preferred. 



HOME DECORATIONS 



riantelpiece. — Many houses still contain 
the high, old-fashioned, wooden mantel- 
pieces, painted to imitate yellow-graincvi 
black marble, and a sore aflQiction to the eyes. 
A little paint may convert an eye sore into an 
ornament. Ebonize the entire surface, and 
paint a spray of flowers in each panel, taking 
care to select blossoms whose tints harmon- 
ize with the decorations of the room. In a 
chamber furnished with white and blue, a 
mantelpiece of this kind would be pretty 
painted white, with the panels outlined in 
blue. If desired, some geometrical design 
or figure in outline can be painted in each 
panel. Above the mantelpiece fasten two 
shelves, the upper one shorter than the 
lower, supporting them on brackets. In 
this manner a very unsightly mantel may 
be converted into a very pretty and at- 
tractive one. 

Screen. — If your house is small and your 
family large, a folding-screen in each bedroom 
is an important addition. Very pretty and 
inexpensive ones may be made by covering a 
wooden frame with coarse canvas, and on 
this arranging pictures cut from illustrated 
papers. When the canvas is entirely cov- 
ered, varnish the whole, and be happy in 
the knowledge that you have ad ied a use- 
ful adjunct to your bedroom furniture, as 
well, perhaps, as provided hours of amuse- 
ment for sick children in hunting out the 
various pictures. 

Window Draperies. — A novel and pretty 
window curtain has been made easily and 
cheaply by the practice of a little taste and 
ingenuity. Its material was the yellow silk 
ribbon which is used to tie bundles of cigars. 
This was made into squares, which were 
joined together by bands of antique lace in- 
sertion until the full length was reached. 
The top and bottom were then hemmed, and 
the lower end ornamented with a border of 
white lace and a row of fringe. 

nirrors — If through ill-fortune a look- 
ing-glass is broken, it is easy to utilize its 
larger fragments. These may be cut into 
square or diamond shape, and inserted in 
plush frames, or painted or gilded wooden 
frames. Thus utilized, a misfortune may be 
converted into an advantage in decoration. 



Sofa Pillows. 

Where there are easy-chairs, and sofas, 
or lounges, a beautiful sofa pillow adds 
much to the effect in the decoration of a 
room. There should be a plentiful supply 
of these useful articles, as they afford oppor- 
tunities for ladies to exercise their ingenuity 
in working out beautiful designs. These 
vary, from the plain pillow made of denim, 
with cord at the edges, both for finish and 
for durability, to the more expensive plush 
and silk pillows worked with the needle. 
Ordinary butchers' linen may be taken, a 
square design of drawn work made in the 
centre, and a ruffle may be made around the 
edges of red and white taffeta ribbon in 
alternate rows. The back of the pillow 
may also be of linen. 

A sofa pillow may also be made of crim- 
son denim, with dark blue fleur-de-lis em- 
broidered upon it in dark blue silk, which 
may be finished with a crimson cord. The 
back should be made of dark blue denim. 
This cover describes one which would 
answer for a Pennsylvania University. Other 
colors may be used to represent any other 
college. Inexpensive sofa pillows may also 
be made of huck toweling embroidered in 
wash silks in white, pink, light green, light 
and dark yellow, and black. A ruffle may 
be added of bright red silk, and the back of 
the pillow made of toweling. A very inex- 
pensive sofa pillow may be made of squares 
of silk, ribbon and velvet, each square 
slightly padded to give a raised eSect. The 
edges of the pillow may be finished with 
narrow ruffles or silk cord. This variety of 
pillows offers great opportunity for ingenu- 
ity in using remnants of silk and velvet, and 
they are deservedly popular. 

Quite an attractive pillow may be made 
of white linen, on which autographs of 
friends or of a class may be written in lead 
pencil, and outlined in several shades of 
green embroidery silk, or any other color 
whic^. suits the fancy of the designer. The 
pillow may be square or octagonal in shape. 
A dainty plilow of this kind may be filled 
with dried rose leaves. 

Ornamentation of Bedrooms. 

Where there are several bedrooms, it is 
not unusual to furnish each one in a color 




TABLE DECORATIONS FOR STATE OR FORMAL OCCASIONS. 

When dinners are given in honor of a distinguished guest, or by a select society oi 
organization, elaborate decorations for table and room are prepared. Engraved or neatly 
printed menus are at ^ach plate. From the ceiling hangs the monogram of the guest oi; 
the organization giving the dinner. 



HOME DECORATIONS 



of its own. One room, for instance, may- 
be furnished in blue and white. The walls 
may be hung with satin striped paper, the 
draperies made of inexpensive materials, 
worked with ruffles and such designs as the 
occupant may desire, or which may please 
the designer. Another room may be fur- 
nished in red and another in green, and so 
on. The proper arrangement of the dra- 
peries of the windows adds much to the 
effectiveness of the decorations. The bed- 
room should not be overcrowded with fur- 
niture, and each article should have a place 
where it can always be found. 

Living=Rooni. 

Upon the decoration and furnishing of 
the living-room depend much of the warmth, 
comfort, and pleasure to be obtained from 
it. The old-fashioned fire-place is again 
coming into vogue, as the warmth and light 
of a good wood or coal fire add greatly to 
the cheer of the home. The mantelpiece 
and surroundings should not be receptacles 
for odds and ends that may be placed there 
by various occupants of the room, but 
should be tastefully decorated with a mantel 
clock, vases of flowers or dried grasses, and 
one or two ornamental articles. Over- 
crowding should be avoided. On each side 
of the mantel should be hung suitable and 
suggestive pictures, neatly framed, always 
avoiding the cheap penny pictures, which 
do nothing more than encumber the walls. 
A few choice pictures are much more to be 
desired than many cheap prints. Books 
should be arranged on shelves, or in book- 
cases specially prepared for them. Care 
should be taken that they be properh?- ar- 
ranged in such order as may be agreed upon, 
whether by titles or by sizes. Window 
draperies for the living-room should always 
be bright in color and serviceable. There 
are several ways of hanging them ; probably 
the most serviceable one is by rings from 
poles placed across the window. 

The Convenient Kitchen. 

The kitchen is the workshop of the home. 
It therefore should be furnished and ar- 
ranged for the special convenience of the 
housewife and cook, and for the health of 
the occupants of the home. Plenty of light 



and air should be provided. At some time, 
during the day it should have sunshine in 
abundance. In building a house it is more 
important to decide the location of the 
kitchen than that of the parlor. The sani- 
tary arrangements include proper drainage, 
copious and clean supply of water, the best 
sanitary plumbing, generous room in the 
closets and pantries, and facilities for the 
proper care of cooking utensils. Kitchens 
should be made attractive as well as useful. 
This may be accomplished by giving atten- 
tion to the hanging of simple curtains at the 
windows and over open cupboards ; by the 
arrangement of dishes and utensils in the 
places where they belong ; by tidiness in 
the furniture of the kitchen, and by general 
cleanliness. It is not customary to decorate 
the walls with pictures. The mantelpiece 
should have its clock and one or two sug 
gestive ornaments. 

Window Gardens. 

Nothing adds so much cheer to the house 
as beautiful vrindow gardens filled with 
flowers and potted plants. These decora- 
tions are within the reach of all, and there 
are many beautiful designs which will sup- 
gest themselves besides those we offer. One 
of the prettiest we have Reen is a window 
garden occupying the south end of a dining- 
room, arranged with a wire stand in the 
centre. These stands are readily procured 
at almost any merchandii'e store, or they 
may be readily made out of light pieces of 
lumber in the form of steps, which, if neatly 
painted green or red, will be very service- 
able. Window shelves may be made and 
covered with heavy paper or oil cloth of a 
neat figure. The plants may be so arranged 
as to give sunlight to the varieties needing 
it most. 

Another very useful form is to make for 
the window garden a box, m length equal to 
the width of the window, sxx or eight inches 
wide and eight inches deep. The box 
should be lined with zinc and filled with 
sand or light mold. Not more than six or 
eight plants should be used in an ordinary 
window-garden box. In wmter time the 
plants should be carefully protected at nigti\ 
from the frost caused by th« falling of the 
tei-iperature of the room. This ma^^ fe^ 



lOI 



HOME DECORATIONS 



easily done by putting heavy paper between 
the plants and the window. 

Decorations for Public and Festive 
Occasions. 

It is desirable to decorate rooms for both 
public and private occasions, such as anni- 
versary days and festal days. Decorations 
intended to instil patriotism are frequently 
used on Children's Day, Washington's 
Birthday and the Fourth of July. The 
national flag is always a prominent feature. 
The platform, or stage, or the part of the 
room to be used forthe entertainment, is made 
the centre of the decorations. Flowers, palms 
and vines are always beautiful, and their 
arrangement depends upon the taste of the 
parties directing the same. It must not be 
overlooked that even the most common 
flowers and plants form the prettiest decora- 
tions. Although the farmer may fight the 
daisy as a nuisance in the field, yet the dec- 
orator will find that it makes one of the 
most beautiful decorations, either bunched 
together or in chains, woven around walls 
and furniture. 

Wedding Occasions. 

No wedding would be complete unless 
there were decorations in the parlor or 
church where the marriage ceremony takes 
place, and also of the dining-room and table 
where the breakfast or dinner is served. 
There are many happy suggestions for such 
occasions. It is customary to decorate the 
church by running arches, made of flowers 
and vines, over the aisle along which the 
bridal procession takes place. Festoons 
may be hung from the ceiling in artistic 
lines. Care should be taken that harmony 
in arrangement prevails, and one part is 
not decorated at the expense of another. 
Potted plants are always beautiful in decor- 
ating the platform and pulpit and for tables 
and window ledges. White ribbon, either 
in bows, or nicely looped, adds also to the 
effectiveness of the decorations. 

Decorating the Table. 

For bridal or festive occasions very 
simple and pretty decorations may be made 
by the an'angement of a few flowers on the 
table and good taste in arranging the china. 



the silver, and the linen. It should not be 
overlooked that too much decoration is 
worse than no decoration at all, and the 
effectiveness is often lost by carelessness in 
arranging one or two small items. Sym- 
metry and harmony should not be lost sight 
of. The color effect should be left to per- 
sons who have " an eye for color." 

Fancy Work for Leisure Hours. 

In these days of household leisure taste 
in common art has developed, and we care 
much more than did our grandparents about 
surrounding ourselves with things of beauty. 
The struggle of life was harder for them, 
and they had little time to adorn tables and 
chairs, arrange artistic effects in rooms, and 
make windows and walls rich with color 
and fair with soft drapery. 

Embroidery, 

Among the most popular home occupa- 
tions for present-day ladies may be named 
embroidery. The loom and the spinning- 
wheel, in one form or another, are as old as 
civilization, and our devotion to the em- 
broidery frame is but a return to the occu- 
pation in which mediaeval ladies found 
delight. Few of them could read or write, 
and the needle was their only form of ex- 
pression. This is no longer the case; we 
are not so narrowed in our range, and yet 
embroidery continues to be pleasant work 
for a group of merry girls or thoughtful 
women. 

The most expensive materials for this 
work are silk, velvet, tissue, gold and silver 
cloth, velveteen, and plush. Among cheaper 
materials are linens of various degrees of 
fineness, crash, sateen, sheeting, serge, and 
Canton flannel. 

Every lady who gives her mind to it, 
even if her skill is not great, can improve 
an unattractive room by a few judicious al- 
terations, and every young girl may learn to 
embroider at odd moments, and by the work 
of her hands transform her abode from ugli- 
ness to beauty. 

Crewels are used for working on linen, 
serge and flannel. Tapestry wool, a thicker 
substance, is useful on coarse fabrics. Em- 
broidery silk is preferred for silk, satin, oi 
fine materials. In working with crewels^, 




PATRIOTIC DECORATIONS 

Decorations used to instil patriotism are the most commendable of tlie many public 

occasions. — Children's Days, Commencements and national holidays are_ the 

most popular. Flags and bunting, banks of daisies, a " Ship of State " 

and floral columns are seen in this illustration. 




DECORATIONS FOR A WEDDING 

fhis is an interesting view of elaborate designs, in arches and festoons. The green and whita 
in the arches and in the pulpit decorations are easily procured and arranged. 



HOME DECORATIONS 



S 



the threads should be cut into short lengths, 
it being difficult to use a long thread with- 
out puckering the work. 

Silk plush, the most elegant and effec- 
tive material for banners, draperies, and 
covers, is very costly. Woolen plush is a 
little less costly, but is also expensive. 
Canton flannel, in all the rich and desirable 
colors, is a much cheaper material. As re- 
gards the cost of these and the other mate- 
rials named, our lady readers are probably 
well informed. 

Stitches. — Stem-stitch is not diflBcult. 
It is simply a long stitch forward, a short 
one backward, and then another long stitch 
a little in advance of the first. In working 
outlines, care must be taken to exactly fol- 
low the line of the pattern, and to keep 
the thread to the left of the needle. Some 
knowledge of drawing is necessary for good 
embroidery. Leaves and flowers or con- 
ventional designs should be nicely drawn or 
Stamped before beginning to work. A lady 
is sometimes so deft with her needle that 
she can compose her pattern as she goes on, 
but this is not apt to be widely the case. 
The stem -stitch may be longer or shorter 
according to fancy, but it must be even. 

Split-stitch is a variety of stem-stitch, 
but in bringing the needle up through the 
material it must be passed through the em- 
broidery silk or crewel. 

Satin-stitch is the same on both sides. 
The needle must be taken back each time 
to the point from which it started. Rope- 
stitch is a twisted chain-stitch ; blanket- 
stitch is the ordinary buttonhole stitch less 
closely worked , and feather-stitch is a broken 
stitch, worked in a light airy way, to suit 
the convenience of the seamstress. 

Drawn-work consists in drawing out 
threads from linen, and working designs in 
the drawn space or filling in with needle- 
work. This is pretty for tidies and for the 
bordering of pillow-shams, spreads, and 
curtains. 

The embroiderer needs a smooth thim- 
ble, as a sharp one is likely to catch in her 
silk, a sharp and pointed pair of scissors, 
and a set of needles of different sizes. 

Applique work is simply transferred 
work. Cut out pretty figures from damask 



or cretonne, or the best parts of old and 
worn embroideries, and fasten them secure- 
ly on a foundation of lace, linen, or silk. 

Things to Embroider. — In addition to 
curtains, lambrequins, screens, and panels, 
which only a few women have time for, 
cushions and chair-backs may be made in 
great variety. Sofa cushions are always 
desirable as gifts. A long narrow cushion 
for the back of an invalid's chair, a neck- 
rest for a rocker, covers of linen to be 
slipped over a chair that has lost its fresh- 
ness, little round table mats, pieces to 
brighten the centre of a dinner-table, port- 
folios and letter-cases, slippers and sewing 
and knitting-aprons, with pockets to hold a 
bit of work, thimble, and needle sheath, are 
among the many articles that may be made 
in leisure hours. 

Crocheting. 

The little crochet hook is a very old 
instrument. Its charm is that with so 
small a tool so many beautiful things may 
be produced. From a counterpane to a 
collar, almost anything may be made with 
the crochet needle. Babies' afghans and 
sofa quilts for convalescents are often cro- 
cheted. There are few occupations more 
fascinating than this to those with time to 
spare. 

Knitting. 

The delight of knitting is its sociability. 
Embroidery demands close attention, but 
the knitter may talk at the same time, her 
fingers moving with automatic precision. 
What pictures rise in our mind's eye of dear 
old ladies knitting by the fire, their needles 
flashing and their voices busy with social 
chat ! Shawls for breakfast or evening wear 
can be either knitted or crocheted, and 
many other articles at once useful and or- 
namental, are at the command of busy and 
skillful fingers in this old-fashioned art. 

Decalcomanie. 

Beautiful jars, vases, umbrella holders 
and boxes may be made in this favorite 
work, for which scrap pictures are neces- 
sary. It requires taste to arrange these 
tastefullv. and when well gummed, they 
siiould be varnished to preserve them and 



85 



103 



HOME DECORATIONS 



to impart a finish. Choose boxes, vases, or 
bowls of clear, flawless glass. Cut and 
gum your picture very carefully on the 
vase, which must then be varnished. Pass 
a coating of gum over the inside of the 
vase, then, if the outside is quite dry, paint 
it in oil, in any color you please. Tall 
vases to fill with cat-tails and grasses, or to 
contain a potpourri inside, shedding, when- 
ever stirred, its faint, spicy odor over the 
drawing-room, are very interesting decora- 
tions, and have about them an unmistak- 
able air of antiquity : that is, if the vase be 
of ancient pattern, or the ornaments those 
of Assyrian, Egyptian, or Etruscan char- 
acter. 

Potpourri. 

The potpourri just referred to may be 
made of various combinations of fragrant 
materials. A very agreeable one may be 
made by the following recipe for a rose-jar : 
One-half peck of rose leaves, one-half pound 
each of common salt, bay salt, and brown 
sugar; one ounce each of storax, benzoin, 
ground orris root, cinnamon, mace, and 
cloves. These should be pounded and 
mixed by a druggist. 

To the above may be added orange and 
lemon verbena and other aromatic leaves. 
Putting these ingredients in your jar, and 
stirring them frequently with a wooden 
spoon, you can, at any time, by airing and 
then closing your room, fill it with a deli- 
cate perfume. 

Wax Flowers. 

Wax flowers are ordinarily only clumsy 
imitations of the lovely blossoms which 
adorn our gardens, or smile upon us from 
lurking-places in wood or wayside, yet the 
artist in this work is sometimes so success- 
ful as to cheat the bees and birds. 

In endeavoring to learn this art do not 
be too easily discouraged. Practice in this, 
as in all things, makes perfect. You may 
try to make one flower and produce a result 
more nearly resembling another, but if you 
would succeed you must not let such fail- 
ures stop your work. 

You always have the advantage that 
your model is perfect. You are not re- 
quired to make any improvements upon 



nature ; you have only to imitate, and the 
pattern is before you in all its charming 
perfection of shape and tint. 

Practice will fit you in time for closely 
reproducing nature, if the exact imitation 
of her work is what you are to aim at. 
New models are always at hand ; s])ring 
and summer bring them, and the coldest 
winter day need not be without them bloom- 
ing in window-pot or hothouse avenues. 

To say there is a peculiar fascination in 
this art is only to express what has been re- 
alized by nearly all who have tried it. And 
when you have succeeded and your produc- 
tions bear a close resemblance to their 
original copies, your home has beautiful 
ornaments. 

Wax should be kept in a box, closely 
covered from dust, and in a cool place. A 
brush must be provided for every color, and 
strictly kept for that one tint. Your sable 
pencils may be cleaned after using for one 
color, and employed in another. 

Always use a pair of scissors to cut out 
your petals, and take as your pattern the 
flower you wish to copy. 

In purchasing, it is economy to obtain 
the very best wax. You will need white, 
cream-tinted, very pale green, smilax, tea- 
rose leaf, pale spring- and deep spring- 
green tints for wax, but at first a few colors 
will suffice. In paints, both in powder 
and cake, the waxworker should have car- 
mine, chrome-yellow, burnt sienna, burnt 
umber, Prussian blue, indigo, crimson lake, 
violet, carmine, rose-madder, French ultra- 
marine, flake-white, and Indian yellow ; a 
sufficient number of tinting and sable pen- 
cils ; some modeling pins, wires covered 
with silk for fine, and with cotton for coarse 
stems ; a palette and palette knife ; some 
best Bermuda arrowroot ; green and white 
down for leaves ; two sizes of wooden molds 
for the lily of the valley and a cutter for 
heliotrope, and a bar of India ink. This is 
a much larger outfit than the novice re- 
quires, and will only need to be obtained 
gradually, as the worker improves and 
grows more ambitious. 

To take the pattern of a petal, place it 
on white paper, and brush it over with a 
tinting-brush. The form of the petal will 



104 




HOME DECORATIONS 

4. comfortable cozy corner, which may be made in any house at small expense by a rear- 
rangement of the furniture or by a boy or man familiar with tools. The sofa is of rough wooden 
construction, covered with a mattress and a rug or shawl. 




HOME DECORATIONS 

The Ingle Nook and Mantel. A suggestion for beautifying a room where there Is a fire place and mantel and space at 

each side for artistic seats and cushions. The whole effect is that of warmth and comfort. A few choice 

ornamentsare on the mantel, handy volumes on the shelves and pictures on the wall. 



HOME DECORATIONS 



be left white on the paper, and may be cut 
out. Or the petal may be laid on a piece of 
paper and its pattern cut out in that way. 
Always cut the petals with the grain of the 
wax. The fingers are excellent modeling 
tools. A few drops of glycerine used on 
the hands an hour or two before working 
makes them soft and pliant. Do not work 
with brittle wax. To remove its brittle- 
ness set it awhile in a warm room, if it has 
been in the cold. 

Flower and Fruit Molds. — To take a 
mold for flower or fruit, mix some very fine 
plaster of Paris in a bowl with water, to the 
thickness of cream. Pour it lightly over 
leaf, or fruit, or bud, which it is well to 
place for the purpose on a glass slab. In 
about ten minutes the plaster will be hard- 
ened sufficiently to lift it from the slab. 
Pare away with a penknife any plaster that 
may have run over. lyct the mold stay in 
the sun, having removed the leaf or bud, 
until it has hardened. In twenty-four 
hours it will be ready for a coat of varnish, 
which must be very thin indeed. 

' ' To take the mold of such a flower as a 
fuchsia or an unopened bud, oil it, pour 
your thick plaster into a paper form, and 
allow the bud to sink on its side in the 
plaster. Let it sink only to the centre line, 
leaving one-half exposed." This we are 
told by a teacher of experience. ' ' Lift the 
mold out of the plaster before it is set too 
hard, scrape the rim smooth, and with the 
point of a penknife make two little cavities, 
one at the stem end, the other at the point 
where the four sepals of the calix fold, and 
carefully brush away any little particles of 
plaster ; place this half of the mold back in 
the paper form, and paint the rim, the hol- 
low, and the little cavities with sweet oil ; 
place the bud again in the cast, and pour 
enough plaster over the exposed part to fill 
the paper form." 

In order to take a wax mold from this, 
dip it into cold water, and pour melted wax 
into one-half; fit the other half to it, turn it 
upside down, slowly, and hold in your hand 
till it has hardened. On removing the 
mold you will have the perfect bud. If 
you were able before the plaster became too 
firm, to bore a little hole in the mold at the 



stem end, you can slip the wire stem through 
before the wax hardens. 

Proceed in the same manner to make 
molds for fruit, using your judgment accord- 
ing to shape and size. 

Wax flowers and fruits are very salable at 
fairs and bazaars, and the lady who knows 
how to make them well is always sure of 
presenting her favorite table with something 
which will make a fine display, and bring in 
a good profit when disposed of. 

Phantom Leaves. 

Phantom or skeleton leaves are the 
ghostly remnants of the leaves that have 
waved on the trees in summer. They are 
troublesome to prepare, but are very pretty 
when finished. Gather the leaves when 
they are perfect, and then lay them in a 
large jar, filled with water. Leave them 
there until they decay, when the fleshy part 
of the leaves can be easily detached from 
the framework. The translucent, thread- 
like form of this delicate veined work is 
very beautiful. Having loosened the green 
part, bleach the remainder by infusion in a 
strong solution of soda. When quite white, 
bouquets or wreaths may be made of difier- 
ent leaves in combination, which may be 
arranged on a dark background, or set 
under glass. 

Autumn Leaves and Ferns. 

Happy hours may be passed in gathering 
and pressing ferns and autumn leaves, with 
which to adorn the house when winter has 
made desolate the fields without. 

Never have too many of these in one 
apartment, for ornament should always be 
subordinate, and no room should be smoth- 
ered with either growing plants, or pressed 
leaves and ferns. 

In preparing these, the brilliant maple 
and other leaves should be, after drying and 
pressing, dipped into thin wax, or varnished. 
When once safely prepared they may be 
hung about the rooms in such manner as 
may seem most ornamental. They can be, 
if desired, sewn on paper in suitable pat- 
terns, and framed under glass as winter pict- 
ures of the flown summer. 

To prepare the leaves, press them imme- 
diately after gathering between old news- 



105 



HOME DECORATIONS 



papers, or, if you have it handy, large 
sheets of blotting-paper, on which lay a 
thin, smooth piece of board. Take care to 
change the newspaper every day until thor- 
oughly dry. Then wax or varnish as above 
directed. 

China Painting. 

For this work procure your colors in 
tubes, since you will thus acquire a greater 
variety than you would for either oil or 
water-color painting. The colors most in 
use are black, white, gray, and several 
shades of red, brown, green, yellow, and 
purple. These may be obtained at any art- 
store. The tube colors are diluted with 
turpentine. You will require a porcelain 
palette, a glass slab, several camel's hair 
brushes of diflferent sizes, a bottle of spirits 
of turpentine, one of 98 per cent, alcohol, 
and small bottles of oil of turpentine, oil of 
lavender, and balsam of copaiba. A steel 
palette knife, and one of horn or ivory ; a 
rest for the hand while painting, made of a 
strip of wood about an inch long and twelve 
inches wide ; a small glass muller-; and a 
fine needle set in a handle for removing tiny 
particles of dust. 

A plate, a flat plaque, or a tile is best to 
begin with, and the first design should be of 
the simplest. One must learn by degrees 
how to use the colors which will best stand 
the firing, which is the crucial test. There 
are places in the cities to which articles of 
painted china may be sent to be fired, few 
people having the facilities to do this in 
their homes. 

Painting can be applied to china, to vel- 
vet, to satin, to cloth, and to almost every 
fabric and material in use among civilized 
peoples. 

By study, careful watching of processes, 
attention to details, and obedience to the 
directions of the best manuals, one may 
learn to paint creditably without a master. 
But all arts are rendered less difficult by a 
painstaking teacher, and many weary hours 
and disappointments may be saved by join- 
ing an art class. 

Amateur Photography. 

To have one's picture taken was former- 
ly a family event ; now it is the work of a 



106 



fraction of a minute in the photographer's 
chair, while the art of photography is a com- 
mon amusement for leisure hours. 

An amateur photographer's outfit is not 
very expensive, and is an exceedingly at- 
tractive and instructive possession to young 
and old alike. The negatives taken will be 
developed by any professional photographer, 
or may be by the amateur himself, if ingen- 
ious enough to prepare the necessary ap- 
pointments and study the art. For this he 
must resort to works on photography. 

Screens. 

Our forefathers did not think their 
houses complete without screens. These 
are useful for breaking off the heat where 
there is an open grate, and for placing near 
a door often opened, to prevent a draft, and 
are still quite popular. Very handsome 
ones may be made of feathers by gumming 
them on a framework of gauze or other ma- 
terial, stretched by wire. Or card -board may 
be used for the background. The lad who 
is skillful with tools may make screens of 
thin wood and other light materials, a 
framework of strips being made and fastened 
together, and then covered with the material 
preferred. If it is to be a folding screen, 
the separate parts can be readily joined 
together with hinges. 

Care of Domestic Animals and 
Plants. 

It seems advisable to supplement what 
we have said about the methods of making 
home attractive with some consideration of 
other important elements of home interest, 
the plants and flowers which change our 
windows into miniature conservatories, and 
the singing birds and other pet animals to 
which we give loving care, and whose lively 
arts and swset voices help to make the 
hours pass pleasantly. First among these 
it will be well to speak of the prime favorite 
among all the feathered tribe, the golden- 
plumaged and sweet voiced canary. 

The Canary Bird. 

No birds, except pigeons and fowls, have 
developed under man's care into so many 
varieties as the canary. The original wild 
bird is a finch, of greenish hue. Among 



HOME DECORATIONS 



domestic birds there are several varieties 
fully or partly green, but yellow is the most 
admired tint, there being several shades of 
this favorite color. The canary, above all 
other birds, lives and thrives in a cage. It 
has been bred for so long a series of genera- 
tions to cage-life that its native wildness has 
vanished, and in the open air it is quite in- 
capable of taking care of itself. In the cage 
it is bred with greater ease and success 
than almost any other bird, and the raising 
of canaries is in some localities, as in the 
Hartz Mountains of Germany, a distinct 
and profitable business. 

It is as a song-bird that the canary is 
most valued, and for many generations its 
powers of song have been developed in 
Germany until they approach perfection. 
The young birds are carefully trained, some 
by skillful older singers, some by the flag- 
eolet, until they can execute certain fine 
trills or passages of melody. Some song- 
sters have the wonderful compass of four 
octaves, and can sing various " shakes " in 
marvelous style. Each burst of song should, 
for the best efiect, end in a soft, flute-like, 
falling passage, an effect which it takes six 
months' training to produce. Many birds 
of excitable temperament are apt to break 
into loud, detached notes, which spoils 
their song to the ear of an adept in canary 
music. 

The song of the canary is evidently a 
matter of choice and training, and the Ger- 
man song canary has a voice vastly more 
beautiful than that of the wild bird. Cock 
birds of fine voice are chosen to breed from 
and also as tutors, young birds, if possible, 
being trained in a room where they can 
hear only the tutor, for they will pick up 
bad notes as easily as good ones if left where 
they can hear them. The tutors and pupils 
are allowed to sing only about three hours 
each day, being covered up the rest of the 
time. Birds that have caught up bad notes 
need to be drafted off, before they can make 
mischief among the others. If there is no 
good tutor, a flageolet will serve, with the 
condition that the same air must always be 
played in exactly the same way. 

The colors of cage birds vary consider- 
ably, through green, yellow, white, brown, 
gray, etc. The yellow and the white have 



107 



often red eyes, and are tne most tender; 
those most resembling the wild race — dusky 
green above and yellowish green beneath — 
are the strongest. The bird now most ad- 
mired is of yellow or white body , with head , 
wings, and tail of a lively yellow. The gold- 
en yellow bird, with head, wings, and tail 
black, or dusky gray, comes next in estima- 
tion. There are other admired shades of 
color, those spotted or speckled being of 
least value. 

Care of Canaries. 

In keeping canaries much attention must 
be paid to the cage, which is very liable to 
be infested with the canary mite, a plague 
so constant that great care is needed to 
avoid it. It begins with a floury dust, 
which is soon found to be alive, the insects 
becoming larger and reddish in color. They 
harbor in the minutest crack. To destroy 
them, every cage should be completely plas- 
tered with whitewash and carbolic acid at 
the beginning and end of each breeding 
season , each chink being carefully filled . If 
any of the "flour" appears on the perch, 
this should be withdrawn, the place painted 
with oil, and a new perch with an oiled roof 
put in. If it is in a crack, paint it over 
with spirit varnish. If the case is a bad 
one, paint with solution of bichloride of 
mercury, rubbing it well into the places, 
and, when dried, varnish over it. In this 
way the enemy may be overcome. 

The food of the bird is an important 
matter. In Germany summer rape seed, of 
mild quality, is chiefly used, the cocks— the 
only singers— having also a little bread- 
crumb and &^^. To force them, dealers 
often feed them almost entirely on egg- food, 
and the bird, when purchased, is fed solely 
on canary seed, or canary and hemp seed. 
This sudden change is apt to prove in- 
jurious. 

Canaries are liable to various disorders 
which need special treatment. Colds may 
be cured by putting twenty drops of pare- 
goric, a bit of gum arable the size of a pea, 
and half a teaspoonful of glycerine in the 
water. Loss of voice may be treated in the 
same way, but in either case it is best to 
give first a drop or two of castor oil from 
the point of a penholder. 



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HOME DECORATIONS 



A dirty cage or stale green food may 
yield its result in diarrhoea. This is best 
treated by oil given as above, afterwards 
adding gum to the fountain and sprinkling 
a little prepared chalk in the egg-food. If 
green food is properly given constipation is 
rare. When it occurs, a teaspoonful of gly- 
cerine, followed by one of infusion of gen- 
tian, should be added to the water. 

The feet need to be examined now and 
then, since balls may gather upon them and 
cause much pain. The claws also may need 
to be shortened a little from time to time, 
being clipped with" scissors. 

The Mocking Bird. 

Among American birds, the mocking 
bird stands high in public estimation. The 
vocal powers of this plain-plumaged favorite 
are extraord'nary , no other species approach- 
ing it as a mimic, except its near relative, 
the cat bird Its powers of imitation are 
wonderfully ^^aried and perfect, and it is in- 
clined to show them as well in captivity as 
in freedom. Its own song is full, bold, and 
exceedingly varied, and it has the faculty in 
its native bush of repeating the songs of all 
its feathered neighbors as exactly as an 
echo. In captivity it can be taught a long 
air by its master, and will imitate the 
quavering trill of the canary and the fluting 
whistle of the redbird with such fine execu- 
tion as to silence these expert singers. It 
can imitate many less musical sounds, will 
whistle for the dog, squeal like a hurt 
chicken, bark, mew, creak like the wheel- 
barrow, and vary its notes endlessly. A 
well-trained mocker is a wonder, though at 
times it may become an annoyance from its 
endless vivacity. 

The natural food of the mocking bird 
consists of insects, fruit and berries, and a 
few insects or meal worms should be added 
to its daily diet, which may consist of what 
is called fig-dust — finely-grained oats mixed 
into a stiff dough with milk and water. 
Carrot and boiled potato may be given alter- 
nately, with a little egg-food. Gravel and 
water, of ^uurse, are needed by all birds. 

Other 5ong Birds. 

The Virginia redbird is at once beautiful 
iu j^lumage and a favorite for its loud and 



almost constant song. It is hardy, and if 
properly fed is liable to few ailments. It 
needs to be fed with seeds, soft food, and 
insects. A little cuttle-fish bone should 
hang in the cage, and a red pepper-pod. 

Others of our native birds kept as cage 
birds are the beautiful oriole, the merry 
bobolink, with its canary-like song, the 
handsome goldfinch, with its sweet warble, 
the brown thrush, and others of more or 
less powers of song. 

Of foreign birds may be named the 
European starling, a handsome fellow, of 
beautiful black plumage speckled with a 
yellowish white, and with a song of great 
sweetness. It sings summer and winter, 
and can be taught to sing and whistle tunes. 
It needs soft food, doing well on bread and 
milk, with a little animal food and sweet and 
ripe fruit. It is fond of bathing, plenty of 
water being essential to its health. It must 
have a deep saucer of gravel or a large turf 
to dig its beak in, which otherwise will grow 
deformed. 

There are several other European birds 
of good voice, chief among them, of course, 
the nightingale, which, however, does not 
thrive in a cage. The green linnet is a 
pretty fellow, and, mated with the canary, 
produces the finest of singing birds. Other 
handsome foreign birds are the Java sparrow, 
a quarrelsome little fellow ; the Japanese 
robin, a good songster and ready imitator, 
and the beautiful South American troopial, 
a lovely pet with excellent powers of song. 

Parrots. 

Among cage birds not noted for sweet- 
ness of song, yet of high popularity, maybe 
named the gray parrot, a familiar inmate of 
hundreds of households, and widely wel- 
come for the part it takes in the conversa- 
tion of the family. It is, in its way, as 
imitative as the mocking bird, but its vocal 
powers are adapted to the imitation of words 
instead of song notes, and its achievements 
in this direction are often extraordinary, es- 
pecially as the uncanny bird frequently makes 
his words fit the occasion so closely that he 
seems to know well what they mean. 

The domesticated parrot has no objec- 
tion to the cage, often manifesting uneasi- 
ness when let out for a promenade. The 



loS 



HOME DECORATIONS 



ir' 



food of the "gf^ij parrot should consist of 
maize, oats, wheat, and bird-seeds, with oc- 
casional nuts and biscuits, and ripe fruit in 
its season, this being very useful and whole- 
some. They can be easily taught to eat 
potato, and bread and milk and other soft 
food may be freely given. They will eat 
meat readily, but, as it tends to produce 
disease, it should not be given. They should 
have frequent opportunities to bathe, and, 
if they fail to do so, should be showered in 
summer, now and then, with warm water 
from a syringe. 

The Amazon parrot, a more highly-col- 
ored bird, is as good a talker as the gray. 
Its plumage is green over most of the body. 
Its food and general treatment should be as 
above described. Of other large parrots we 
may name the king parrot, a splendid red 
and green bird, Pennant's parrakeet, and 
the rosellas. These must all have the same 
diet of seeds and vegetable food, with fruit 
in the season. The beautiful king parrot, 
one of the quietest of these birds, breeds 
freely in captivity. 

Parrots usually leave oflF screaming when 
they grow tame and familiar, but there are 
some hopeless cases, and several cockatoos 
together may prove worse than a brass band. 
The beaks of the larger parrots are also so 
strong that only very stout cages can stand 
their attacks, and bad-tempered birds need 
to be dealt with cautiously, as they could 
break or sever a finger with great ease. 

As a general rule, the food of all parrots 
should consist of grain and seeds, especially 
millet, maize, or harvest grains in the ear or 
on the stalk. Sunflower seed is highly rel- 
ished, and such green food as salad herbs, 
chickweed, groundsel, etc., should be given 
freely, with a twig from some green tree to 
gnaw at. Biscuits are good in moderation, 
as also nuts and sweet fruits. 

There is a large family of small parra- 
keets, the so-called love-birds, of remark- 
able beauty of plumage, at the head of 
which, for beauty, hardiness, and docility, 
is the shell parrot of Australia. This bird 
breeds in captivity as readily as the canary, 
and, as it is very gregarious, it does best in 
an aviary, where numerous pairs can be let 
loose. For breeding it must be provided 
witn a log, with a suitable hole made in it. 



its native nest being built in hollow logs. 
There are other varieties of parrakeets kept 
in captivity, but some of them are delicate 
and hard to keep. They can be fed on 
millet, maize, canary seed, and the like. 

Pigeons. 

There are few pets which give so little 
trouble to keep and rear as pigeons, owing 
to the fact that they bring up and feed their 
young until these are old enough to provide 
for themselves. Cage-birds, it is true, do 
the same, but there are many dangers and 
mishaps to birds grown in confinement, 
which the pigeon, with its outdoor exercise, 
escapes — except in some of the highly arti- 
ficial " fancy ' ' varieties. 

In keeping pigeons, the first rule to ob- 
serve is never to ^rr^^aya^ the birds. If there 
is only a small space, one good pair of 
pigeons will rear more young in it than sev- 
eral pairs. A room with six feet square 
of space will accommodate about six 
pairs of breeding-birds, — not more. There 
should be fewer, unless the young are sold 
or eaten as they grow large. The pigeon- 
cote in a wall or at the top of a pole is fit 
for only the most common and hardy 
pigeons, and these if used remain wild and 
cannot be tamed or handled. 

Pigeons must either be allowed to fly 
out at liberty or have a wire-enclosed space 
outside in which they can take exercise. 
A space twelve feet long and six feet wide 
and high will do very well. It should have 
shelves at the ends, affording a flight from 
one shelf to the other. The floor should be 
covered with lime and sand or some form 
of concrete, so that it may be easily cleaned. 
It needs nothing else except a vessel of 
water for the pigeons to bathe in. This 
may be three or four inches deep and two 
or three feet square, the water being re- 
newed every morning. 

Within the loft nesting places must be 
provided. A simple kind is a series of 
shelves across the back of the loft, with an 
upright partition in the middle, dividing it 
into two sets of shelves. Boards must be 
nailed down the front, leaving a central 
opening for the birds to each shelf space. 
Kach length of shelf forms a breeding place 
for one pair of pigeons. 



109 



12 



HOME DhLORATIONS 



Perches for the birds must be fixed along 
the sides of the loft, as roosting places, with 
slanting boards beneath to catch the drop- 
pings of the birds. These can be very easily- 
cleaned. The loft should be painted, and 
scrubbed at intervals with carbolic soap, or 
whitewashed at suitable periods with hot 
lime. To avoid fleas or other vermin, cover 
the floor with an inch of coarse pine saw- 
dust. If the droppings be raked off every 
few days, this need not be renewed for sev- 
eral weeks. 

For pigeons in confinement, the perma- 
nent staple diet should be good gray peas. 
In winter these may be changed to small 
sound tick beans. Either should be mixed 
with one-third of large tares, and a little 
good barley may be added. Beans are too 
hard in summer, and the diet should consist 
of mixed peas and wheat, with small corn. 
For very small pigeons small peas must be 
selected, with a few tares. Pigeons are very 
fond of hempseed, but nothing can be worse 
for regular food. A handful now and then 
is stimulating. Small seeds, like canary 
and millet, are much relished, and are useful 
for the young birds. The food should be 
given in some kind of a hopper, so that the 
birds cannot foul it with their droppings. 
Pigeons at liberty eat all kinds of things be- 
sides grain, such as grubs and small worms. 
Some will eat minced meat in confinement, 
and others relish boiled potato, bread and 
milk, etc. 

There is one element of pigeon diet 
which must never be omitted. They have 
a craving for lime and salt, and will pick at 
old mortar. Take equal parts of old mor- 
tar pounded, sandy gravel, and loamy earth, 
and add to a gallon of this a half pint of 
cummin seed and as much coarse bay salt. 
Mix this with strong lime into a mortar, 
and keep it constantly supplied to a box, 
with a slit near the top into which the birds 
can get their heads. If their bodies could 
get in they would soon tread it hard. If old 
mortar cannot be had, old slaked lime will 
do, hard enough to need pounding. 

Highly-bred pigeons are subject to vari- 
ous complaints, from which the hardier 
kinds are largely free. For the former a 
special handbook of diseases and treatment 
will be necessary. For the latter a simple 



treatment suffices. Colds will often yield to 
a pinch of Epsom salts and shutting the 
bird up in a warm pen, bathing the legs in 
hot water and drying every night ; diarrhoea, 
to a few drops of chlorodyne. Wing disease 
is somewhat frequent in confined birds, hard 
yellowish lumps showing on the joints of 
the wings. These should be painted daily 
with spirits of turpentine or tincture of 
iodine, or rubbed with iodine ointment. 

Rabbits. 

The rabbit is a boy's favorite, needing, 
of course, much more space than a bird. It 
can be best kept in a dry shed, ventilated at 
top only, and well lighted. The floors are 
usually of earth, but are better if made of 
concrete or paving stones, for convenience 
in keeping clean. E^^en a rough shed open 
at the front is much better than none at all, 
or a large door or shutter fixed over a couple 
of hutches. The rabbit will not thrive with- 
out light, and it is very susceptible to bad 
weather, being subject to "snuffles" (a 
kind of influenza) and other disorders. 

A breeding hutch should not be less than 
three feet long and eighteen inches wide, 
with a partition a foot from one end, to 
make a sleeping chamber. Near this must 
be a round hole, for the doe to pass in and 
out, with a sliding shutter to close it. Rab- 
bits are very prolific, having usually eight 
or ten young four times a year. These 
should not be taken from their parents till 
they are six weeks old. 

The rabbit is easily kept, feeding on 
grass, hay, vegetable food, fruit, scraps of 
bread, and almost any fresh vegetable mat- 
ter. The cuttings and clippings of the 
kitchen are welcome to the hutch. It is 
easy, however, to give too much food, and 
wrong to give it wet. Some kind of grain 
or seed is the basis of sound rabbit food, 
oats being the best. It is wise to give only 
a little food at a time, and keep the rabbite 
rather hungry. Overfeeding is bad. 

In addition to the common rabbit, there 
are many fancy breeds, among them the 
lyop-eared, the Horn, the Angora, and the 
Maltese. Some of these are vtry odd-look- 
ing, but none of them are as handsome as 
the pure white, pink-eyed breed. 



no 



HOME DECORATIONS 



13 



The Belgian Hare. 

This interesting animal is proving to be 
a popular one for small investments. They 
are very prolific breeders, rearing several 
broods each season. They are larger than 
the common rabbit and are better eating. A 
dressed Belgian hare brings good prices in 
the market. Their meat is light in color 
and of excellent flavor. They are easily 
cared for and cheaply fed. A pair of Bel- 
gian hares will soon multiply into a large 
number and bring quick returns in money 
or meat for the original investment. 

Other Animal Pets. 

Of other animals kept as pets may be 
named the Guinea pig and the squirrel, the 
former kept much like the rabbit, the latter 
in a cage. The squirrel in captivity is an 
active fellow, fond of exercise, and if pro- 
vided with a revolving wh-eel, for an occa- 
sional run, will keep healthy and happy. It 
should be provided with nuts for food, with 
corn or wheat, or pieces of dry bread ; also 
a little bread and milk, squeezed rather dry. 
Some bits of meat are relished, but should 
be given sparingly. 

Rats and mice are also kept in cage-life, 
the rat being almost as much given to comi- 
cal antics as the monkey. The outer cage 
should have several perches and a wire lad- 
der or two. The revolving cage sometimes 
used IS a cruel device for these animals ; a 
roomy cage, with perches, ladders, and 
swings, is far better and more interesting, 
from their varied gymnastic powers. 

White mice, with their pretty pink eyes, 
are pets admired by many. They are tame 
and hardy, and can be trained to perform 
many amusing tricks. Corn meal is their 
favorite food. The white rat, a Chinese 
species, is very similar to the white mouse, 
and if kept clean is an interesting pet. Of 
course, these little creatures are not likely to 
be welcome to those who bear an inborn 
prejudice against them, but they are inno- 
cent and harmless animals, and those who 
keep them grow very fond of them. 

The Aquarium. 

The indoor aquarium is a very attractive 
feature in many homes, and is capable of 
being varied almost endlessly. It will fur- 



nish many hours of study and occupation. 
Its simplest form is the familiar globe for 
gold and silver fish, which can be set on a 
stand and forms a very attractive ornament. 
It should be kept about three-fourths full of 
water, which needs to be changed at least 
once a week. It is well to put a little 
washed gravel at the bottom, and some clean 
duckweed or ether water-plant should be put 
in the water. These aid to keep up the sup- 
ply of oxygen, and the fish will nibble them 
occasionally. Small particles of bread or 
biscuit serve for food. 

A larger aquarium is of much more in- 
terest. This is usually an oblong tank, 
with glass sides and ends, made water- 
tight. A glass plate can be laid over the 
top, with a narrov/ open space, so as to ad- 
mit air and keep out dust. The tank 
should be bedded with clean, sandy gravel, 
which needs to be well washed, on which is 
placed some kind of rock-work, with a few 
chinks or crannies for retirement. These 
materials should be well boiled to destroy 
any undesirable growths. The plants needed 
may be selected somewhat widely from 
aquatic growths. Some will root in the 
gravel ; others, like duckweed, will float at 
large. 

A few fresh-water snails are all the mol- 
lusks needed. For fish, almost any of the 
smaller kinds will do. The perch can be 
tamed to take food from the hand. The 
sticklebacks are interesting from their nest- 
building habits, but they are such fighters 
that it is necessary to keep them by them- 
selves. The smaller fishes may be fed with 
insects, tiny bits of meat, and bread crumbs ; 
the larger occasionally with minnows. 
Worms are useful, and sometimes the only 
food available. Of other aquarium animals, 
the newts are pretty and interesting, swim- 
ming about with their olive bodies, or some- 
times basking on the rock. 

Keep only a few kinds of fish and other 
animals together. If scum collects, clean it 
off", or add another snail, which will do the 
work of an extra scavenger. If the inmates 
look sluggish and poor, replace some of the 
water and aerate it well. See to it that a 
good supply of insects and small worms is 
put in as food ; water-fleas, small larvae, 
etc., may be given freely. Take out at oqcip 



14 



HOME DECORATIONS 



any large dead or decaying thing. If all 
goes well, you need add only some rain- 
water now and then, to supply the loss by 
evaporation. 

House Plants and Flowers. 

Interesting as many of the cage-birds 
and other house pets are, the window con- 
servatory and the flowering plant are of 
more value for home adornment, on account 
of the much less care needed, and their 
striking beauty when in bloom. The plants 
which can be used for house adornment are 
very numerous. We do not need to go to 
foreign lands in search of them, for they 
grow and bloom all around us. Many of 
the wild flowers of oui fields and forests 
respond well to the loving hand of their 
admirer, and the ferns which are abundant 
in dell and ravine will fill \ip with attrac- 
tive green many spare nooks in garden or 
on window-shelf. 

The flowers raised in pots lor house use 
are greatly varied in kind and character, 
including the favorite rose and lily, the con- 
stant-blooming geraniums, the azaleas, hy- 
acinths, tulips, dahlias, and a great variety 
of others, too numerous to mention. Among 
them are many climbers which are verj at- 
tractive when given an opportunity to drape 
an open space. Not only in the house, but 
in any bit of ground in its vicinity, green 
things can readily be kept in growth, burst- 
ing into rare beauty at some time in the 
year, when their period of bloom arrives. 

Geraniums. 

The geranium forms one of the most at- 
tractive of flowering plants from its rich 
hue and the fact that it keeps in bloom 
through a great part of the season. The 
cultivation of it is easy, almost any kind of 
soil answering the purpose. To set out a 
pot of geraniums, a small quantity of sand 
should be mixed with the soil, and some 
good manui'e added. The plant being well 
set in the earth, it should be watered, left 
for several days in a cool and shady spot, 
then put for a few hours in the light. In a 
short time it will become accustomed to the 
sunshine. 

When the warm season comes, the pots 
tjan be sei out in the ground, being buried 



to their tops. A cloudy day or late after- 
noon should be chosen, so as to avoid too 
much sunshine at first. To keep the gera- 
nium in attractive condition, decaying 
leaves and fading flower-heads should be 
removed, so that the plants may look 
always fresh. Slips will root well if set in 
the earth where shaded from the direct rays 
of the sun. They should be set well down 
and the earth pressed compactly around 
them. In this way fine young plants can 
be got ready for the winter flower garden. 

Sweet Pea. 

This is one of the most beautiful of the 
summer-garden flowers, from its great va- 
riety of color and abundant bloom. It has 
also the charm of a sweet perfume. It sup- 
plies many shades of colored bloom — white, 
rose, scarlet, purple, and variegated. Each 
variety should be planted separately, and 
several feet from any other plant. When 
support is required by the growing plant, a 
light rod will serve the purpose. The seed 
should be sown in rich ground in the early 
spring, the plant growing five or six feet ^ 
high, and blooming from July to October. 

In city gardens, indeed, it often proves 
difficult to cultivate, it being subject to the 
attack of minute insects which are almost 
impossible to eradicate. While in some 
gardens it grows freely and blooms profuse- 
ly, in others it sadly fails, all efforts to de- 
stroy its enemies proving without avail. 

Azalea. 

The azaleas are easily cultivated, being 
very hardy, and form very attractive plants. 
They come in many colors and also striped, 
spotted, or otherwise variegated. They 
need a light soil of sandy loam, to which 
leaf-mold should be added. The foliage 
requires showering once a week, but the 
roots will rot if over watered. Flower stems 
form in the new wood of each summer's 
growth, so that the amount of bloom is apt 
to depend upon the annual quantity of. new 
wood. The plants are set out in May, and 
need to be taken up in early autumn. They 
do best in the house in a temperature vary- 
ing from 40*^ at night to 70° in the day- 
time. 



112 












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SOFA PILLOWS 

Beautiful designs easily made. A group, each made of pieces of silk, ribbbon and velvet, cut in squares, diamonds and othM: 

shapes. Of the others, one is made of crimson denim with fleur-de-lis embroidered in dark blue silk ; a second is 

of butchers' linen with square designs of drawn work in the centre; a third is in alternating squares 

of college colors ; and the fourth is an octagonal pillow of white linen, the autographs 

are written in with pencil and outlined in silk 



HOME DECORATIONS 



15 



Hyacinths and Tulips. 

The hyacinth is an easily-cultivated 
plant, of which more than a thousand vari- 
eties are grown in Holland, forming an im- 
portant item of that country's export trade. 
All Europe and the United States are sup- 
plied with bulbs from this source. These 
should be set out in October or November, 
the finer sorts in beds, the common kinds as 
border plants. They will bloom in April, 
and Piay be kept in bloom for nearly a 
month. No watering is needed, but they 
must be kept free from weeds and supported 
with small sticks as they increase in height. 
They form a rich garden ornament, varying 
through every shade of red down to white, 
from blue to almost black, while some few 
are of yellow color. 

The brilliant tulip is also a plant largely 
grown and yielding many varieties in Hol- 
land, in which land it has been famous for 
centuries. The bulbs should be planted in 
October or November, being set about four 
inches deep and four to six inches apart. 
They need a protective covering in case of 
severe frosts. They bloom in early spring, 
makmg a brilliant display with their gay 
and rich hues. There are both early and 
late bloomers, so that a tulip border may be 
kept in fine appearance for a considerable 
period . They succeed well in ordinary gar- 
den soil, and, with the hyacinth, make a 
very showy spring floral display. After the 
period of bloom, they can be taken up and 
stored until autumn, other plants taking 
their places. 

Pansies. 

The heart's-ease, or pansy, is a favorite 
with every one, from its beauty of color and 
the great variation I alike in the form and 
tint of its flowers. These make their ap- 
pearance early in the spring, and will con- 
tinue to bloom till the time of frost comes 
again. They reach their finest bloom in 
May and June, wilt .somewhat under the 
summer sun, but regain their beauty in 
autumn. 

In planting pansies, a spot with a north 
aspect should be chosen. Soil of medium 
texture and not overfertilized is best. The 
soil should be kept loose around them, and 
care be taken to see that the border is free 



from the wireworm. By setting out the 
plants in September they become well bedded 
before winter, and seem to do as well as 
those kept in frames. Their propagation is 
easy, and young plants can be depended 
upon for the following season's beds. 
Seeds, if saved, should be taken only from 
choice flowers ; in this way alone can im- 
proved varieties be obtained. 

Verbenas and Petunias. 

The verbena is a South American plant, 
which will bloom with us, in the open air, 
from May to November, its brilliant scarlet 
flowers having no superior for rich show. 
Kndless varieties have been produced by 
cultivation, their tints running through 
every shade except blue and yellow. There 
are every shade of red, scarlet, crimson, 
purple, rose, etc.; also scarlet and purple, 
white with red eye, and various other pretty 
combinations. 

The plant is a creeper, taking root free- 
ly wherever the stems come into contact 
with the ground. It is difficult to keep it 
through the winter, except in the house or 
conservatory, none of the roots being quite 
hardy enough to stand the wintry chill. 
Yet it continues to bloom after frost, and is 
one of the last lingering flowers of the fall. 
It can be easily reproduced from plants to 
be had at any greenhouse, and also from 
seed, which, if sown in May, will yield 
bloom in August. No plant surpasses the 
verbena for mass effect, when grown in beds 
cut out on lawns, where the brilliant flowers 
contrast finely with the green grass. 

The petunia is another plant which 
blooms throughout the entire season, even 
after severe frosts. A bed of petunias will 
be profuse in flowers, varying widely in 
color and markings ; some single, others 
double, occasionally as large and full as a 
rose. There are three classes, the grandi- 
flora, the small-flowered, and the double, the 
small-flowered being the most common. It 
is the latter that add so much to the beauty 
of our gardens by their great variety of hue. 

The Lily and Rose. 

Of the lily there are numerous widely- 
varied species, many of them well known, 
many others rarely seen in gardens. It 



113 



I6 



HOME DECORATIONS 



grows from a bulb, and will do well in any 
well-protected bed. To develop it in per- 
fection the soil should be dug to a depth 
of a foot and a half, filled to a foot with 
swamp muck and leaf mold or fresh 
manure, and the hole filled with six inches 
of peat and rich mold. The bulbs should 
be planted four or five inches deep, or, of 
the weaker sorts, three or four inches. Most 
of the species are quite hardy, but it is ad- 
vantageous to cover them with a deep com- 
post before winter. 

The cultivation of the rose needs no 
special directions. The plants, once rooted, 
last for years, and bloom freely with little 
cultivation ; some once only in the season, 
others continually. They are nearly all 
hardy, though many require some degree of 
winter protection. 

North America has furnished our gar- 
dens with various handsome flowers, among 
them the large and beautiful dahlia, whose 
very numerous varieties, more than two 
thousand in all, have been derived by culti- 
vation from two spec'es of Mexican plants. 
The neat grace and perfection of their floral 
forms and great variety of shades of scarlet, 
crimson, purple, red and yellow, give them 
a special adaptation to floral borders, where 
they lift their trim heads with an air of 
pride. No plants surpass these in their in- 
clination to sport into new varieties. The 
dahlias are generally cultivated by the divis- 
ion of the tuberous roots. These will not 
bear the frosts of northern climates, and 
must be taken up as soon as frost blackens 
the tops and kept for winter in a dry and 
suflSciently warm place. 

Another handsome garden plant of North 
American origin is the familiar and favorite 



phlox, which bears its flowers in terminal 
panicles. The original form, once much 
grown in our gardens, is now rarely met 
with, the showy phloxes of to-day being all 
hybridized varieties, the production of the 
florists. They are highly ornamental in 
character. One species, the drumjnondii, 
has sported into a variety of beautiful colors, 
and is one of the most showy of cultivated 
annuals. 

Among the wild flowers of the United 
States the most magnificent when in bloom 
is the rhododendron, which forms impene- 
trable thickets in many parts of the AUe- 
ghanies, and, with its related plant, the 
mountain laurel, gives a wonderful charm in 
the floral season to the Appalachian moun- 
tain glens, from Maine to Georgia. The 
cultivated rhododendron is produced by 
hybridization between the American and 
several Asiatic species,. In the hands of 
the florist it has attained a wonderful ex- 
uberance of form and color, the highly- 
cultivated varieties being unequaled for 
richness of hue and showiness and profusion 
of petals. It is a hardy plant, and will win- 
ter out of doors, calling for no special care 
or cultivation. This, of course, does not 
apply to the floral monstrosities annually 
exhibited, as results of the exaggerated care 
of flower fanciers. 

We have named here only a few of the 
better known of an innumerable variety of 
flowers, very many of which are adapted for 
house cultivation or garden growth ; but, as 
their treatment does not vary greatly, and 
in special cases must be learned largely by 
experience, we shall say no more here upon 
this attractive subject. 



I 



BOOK III. 

THE Practical Mechanic 

Here are pages which will probably save the small cost of the whole 
volume many times over, in the numerous expenses for repairs which they 
will do away with, and will also inspire the housekeeper or the male members 
of the family to add many home-made articles of comfort and convenience to 
the housekeeping outfit. Mending broken furniture, windows, brick or 
stone work, plumbing, painting, wall paper, and the thousands of things 
about a house which are liable to get out of order, means money in pocket if 
you can do it without having to call in a high-priced mechanic. There are 
many men who could employ evenings in making handsome and durable 
pieces of furniture, and at the end of the year find themselves richer and more 
comfortable for it. The value of this section of the work can scarcely be 
overestimated. All the directions are so clear that the most inexperienced 
can scarcely go astray. 




SPECIAL DECORATIONS 

The table is prepared for a special occasion and profusely decorated with flags, potted plants and 

vines. This answers for all patriotic occasions. At the right is a 

beautiful window box and hanging basket. 




TABLE DECORATIONS 

A happy suggestion for the arrangement and decoration of a dinner-table for a special occasion, tuch 

as a wedding dinner. The contrast of light draperies on the walls 

and the green of the plants is very effective. 



The Practical Mechanic 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN REPAIRS— HELPS IN CARPENTERING, 

BRICKLAYING, METAL WORKING, PAPER HANGING, AND OTHER 

USEFUL OCCUPATIONS— INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC 

BELLS, TELEPHONES AND OTHER MECHANICAL 

APPLIANCES— PRACTICAL RECIPES 

AND DIRECTIONS. 



EVERY MAN HIS OWN MECHANIC 



Mend your broken chairs and crippled 
furniture ; put fresh panes of glass into 
your broken windows ; do your own re- 
pairs as far as it is practicable, indoors and 
out of doors ; look after your own locks and 
fastenings; make your own garden tools 
and appliances ; put up your own sheds, 
greenhouses, and garden buildings, and I 
shall answer for it that if you check what 
you save on each job, you will find your- 
self in pocket at the end of the year merely 
through resorting to self-help. 

Let us take a simple case of common 
occurrence, as for example, a broken win- 
dow, and see, by comparing the cost of re- 
pairs when executed by a glazier on the one 
hand, and done by the householder himself 
on the other, how much may be saved by 
means of a little practical knowledge and 
self-help. 

Broken Window, How to Mend It. 

We shall first look into the cost of the 
work when the householder is his own 
mechanic. The man who lays himself out 
to do odd jobs of this kind will of course 
have at hand the tools necessary for carry- 
ing out the work, namely, a hammer, a 
suitable knife for hacking out or cutting 
away the hardened putty and fragments of 
glass still remaining in the window frame, 



117 



and a putty knife. The first thing to be 
done is to clear the rebate or groove in the 
sash-frame for the reception of the new pane 
The next step is to measure accurately the 
length and breadth of the aperture, includ- 
ing the rebate, and procure a piece of glass 
of the required size from any painter and 
glazier or store which cuts glass for those 
who may require it. A little putty must 
also be procured. Now, supposing, that the 
glass measures 18 in. by 12 in., or, in other 
words, contains one and a half superficial 
feet, the cost of the glass will be 10 cents. 
The cost of the putty may be reckoned at 
I cent, putty generally speaking being 5 
cents per pound, though it may be fre- 
quently purchased at the paint store for 4 
cents per. pound. The expense, then, of 
putting things as they were before to the 
householder who can use his hands is no 
more than 11 or 12 cents. It will cost 25 
cents or more if a journeyman is called in. 
It may be argued that a man who as- 
pires to be his own mechanic cannot possi- 
bly gain a sufficient knowledge of all or any 
of the various building trades to enable him 
to do the necessary work of construction or 
repairs in a workmanlike manner, and that 
even if he could do so he would never be 
able to find time enough to do all that may 
be wanted in house and garden from year's 

3 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



end to year's end. Yet, so far as time is 
concerned, it may be pointed out at once 
that the most hard-worked man has his 
regular or occasional half-holiday, to say 
nothing of the summer evenings when 
there is light enough for handi-craft 
work even after 8 o'clock ; and if these 
be not enough, he must — as people are often 
told to do who object that they can find 
no time for this, that, and the other — make 
time. 

Knowledge Must Be Paid For. 

It is good policy, then, tor every man 
who seeks to do a little as a handicrafts- 
man, to lay out a few dollars in obtaining 
theservices of any moderately skilled artisan , 
who, for such a sum, would willingly show 
the aspirant how to use his tools, and how 
to keep them in working order. Thus, for 
example, if a man desired to follow up car- 
pentry, it will be beneficial to him in the 
highest degree to enlist the services of a 
carpenter who v/ill show him how to use 
his saw and his plane, and how to keep his 
saw fit for use by sharpening it with a file, 
and his plane and other cutting tools in 
proper condition by means of the grind- 
stone and oilstone. If, again, he wished to 
be able to build a brick wall, he should get 
a bricklayer to show him how to prepare 
his foundations with spade and level, and 
how to put in the footings of his wall, and 
to raise it, course after course, so that its 
faces within and without, may be truly 
perpendicular, inclining neither to the one 
side nor the other. Having once learned how 
to do a thing, a fairly intelligent man will 
not require so very much practice to enable 
him to do such work as inclination or 
necessity may suggest, in a tolerably work- 
manlike manner. 

Carpentry Most Desirable. 

If it be asked what branch of handi- 
craft trade, or, to bring matters within a 
narrower compass, what branch of the 
building trade is most suitable and most 
useful for amateurs generally, and house- 
holders especially, it must be answered that 
a knowledge of carpentry and joinery will 
be found by far the most desirable. Next 
to this, it is necessary to know something 



Ii8 



about painting and glazing, which comes 
fairly within the province of the amateur 
Collaterally with these useful arts, paper 
hanging may be mentioned. It is unlikely 
that a man will do much smith's work, but 
even in this it is possible for an amateur to 
do something, and a slight acquaintance 
with the arts of brazing, soldering, and 
working in metals will enable a man to 
make propagating cases that shall do him 
good service, and apparatus for heating a 
small greenhouse, if he have one, at little 
expense, even if he still leaves it to the 
peripatetic knife-grinder and tinman to stop 
up holes in leaking coffee-pots and sauce- 
pans, and to renew the damaged bottoms of 
colanders and milk -strainers. 

Bricklaying and Masonry. 

Bricklaying and masonry are trades which 
possibly an amateur will not meddle much 
with ; but some slight acquaintance with 
the principles of each, and the materials 
employed, is desirable, even if it be for no 
other or better purpose than that of giving 
an eye to any workman who may be em- 
ployed in this way on the premises, in order 
to see that he is doing his work in a work- 
manlike manner, that he is using proper 
materials, and that he is not wasting his 
time — a thing which no workman who has 
any self-respect will do. It is, however, 
quite as well to be able to know oneself how 
to set a stone or step that has become loose 
by one cause or another, in cement, and 
how to prepare the cement for the work ; 
and know in what proportions sand and 
cement should be mingled for the purpose 
of making a suitable composition for fixing 
the step once again, so that it may remain 
immovable in its proper position. 

Excavating. 

Lastly, a knowledge of excavating in 
all its branches is attended with advantage. 
In the term "excavating" a far greater 
variety of work is comprised than appears 
upon the face of it at first sight. It means 
far more than digging or hollowing out a 
pit, as for a well or a trench, or for the 
foundation of a wall. It embraces these, it 
is true, but it also implies a knowledge of 
the manufacture — if we may use the word — 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



% 



of concrete, and tte purposes to which it is 
put, of making garden walks and paths, and 
of leveling, so far as it may be applied to 
the construction of drains for carrying off 
the surplus water from the soil of the gar- 
den, or even from a stable or pigsty, and 
the laying of drain-pipes for this purpose. 
It also gathers within its wide embrace a 
knowledge of the method of making tar 
paving and burning clay into ballast — pro- 
cesses which will often be found extremely 
useful in the garden. 

Kinds and Prices of Materials. 

It is important for every one who at- 
tempts to work in wood that he should be 
familiar with the various kinds of wood 
that are used, and the purposes for which 
each is specially adapted. Experience will 
show that wood which is admirably fitted 
for one kind of work is by no means suit- 
able for another. The prices, too, of differ- 
ent sorts of wood differ as much as their 
qualities, and it is desirable that tne amateur 
artisan should become acquainted with these 
to some extent, that he may know what he 
is about when he is making purchases of 
his timber merchant. A knowledge of the 
prices of the different kinds of wood used in 
building and furniture making will also be 
useful to him in other ways. For example, 
if he intends to put up even so unambitious 
a structure as a weather-boarded shed, he 
can, after making his plans and working 
drawings, calculate to a nicety the quantity 
of wood that will be wanted, and its cost at 
the timber yard ; and if he finds that the 
job will run into more money than he ex- 
pected, he can modify his plans and the 
mode of structure to suit his pocket. 

Working Drawings. 

We would urge strongly on the amateur 
artisan the necessity of preparing careful 
plans and working drawings to scale of any 
piece of work that he is about to take in 
hand, whether large or small, before he at- 
tempts to put it in hand. It is an old but 
true saying, that " Well begun is half done," 
and the worker in wood or stone or any 
other building material will be led to appre- 
ciate its truth and wisdom when he finds 
how helpful the making of correct and care- 



ful plans and drawings will be to him in the 
actual performance of the work in question. 
The whole mode of procedure — what he has 
to do and how he must do it — will be clearly 
fixed in his mind before he even touches the 
material which he is about to work up into 
the desired form or object, and he will al- 
ways find the execution of the work to be 
quicker or slower, according to the extent 
to which he has previously worked out his 
plans in his mind, and committed them to 
paper. 

Kinds of Woods Generally Used in Ordi- 
nary Carpentry. 

Of all the different kinds of wood, deal, or 
pine, is that with which the amateur will be 
most frequently employed, and of which it 
is most necessary that he should know the 
prices and sizes at and in which it can be pro- 
cured at the timber yard . We shall now en- 
deavor to convey some idea of the nature of 
a few common kinds of wood, and the pur- 
poses for which they are or may be used. 

The; Ash is a hardy deciduous tree, 
found generally in northern latitudes. In 
color the wood is greenish white when 
young, but the grain of timber cut from 
old trees is often dark and beautifully 
marked. When in this condition it is fre- 
quently used by the cabinet-maker. Its 
toughness, elasticity, and closeness of grain 
render the wood useful for making the frames 
of carriages, agricultural implements, felloes 
of wheels, etc. Hammer handles and bil- 
liard-cues are frequently made of Ash, as 
well as the handles of croquet-mallets, and 
it is much used by coopers. It admits of 
being bent almost double without snapping, 
and on that account it is well adapted to be 
used for curved work. 

The; Beech, a hardy deciduous tree, is 
found in the northern States and Canada. 
The color varies ; it is mostly light or whit- 
ish brown in tint, but is found in all shades 
of brown, deepening at times to black. 
The wooc' •« fine and straight-grained, and 
is, iti CO-* sequence, easily worked. The 
grain resc_ables that of mahogany, and it is 
often stained to represent it. It is used in 
the manufacture of furniture-tables, beds, 
and chairs being made of it. It may be 
stained to im'tate ebony and rosewood. 



119 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



The Birch is a forest tree of graceful 
appearance, found in cold and temperate 
regions, and on elevated situations, such as 
the sides of mountains in warmer countries. 
The wood is white, firm, and tough, and is 
Msed especially in northern countries for mak- 
ing wheels, casks and tubs, and in turnery. 

The wood known as Chestnut is de- 
rived from two widely different kinds of 
trees — the Horse Chestnut and the Spanish 
or Sweet Chestnut. The white brittle wood 
of the Horse Chestnut is used by turners in 
making fancy goods. The wood of the 
Sweet, or Edible, Chestnut, is hard and 
durable, and beautifully grained and varie- 
gated. Furniture is sometimes made of it, 
and it is used with effect for decorative pur- 
poses in building. 

The name of Pine is given to the timber 
of a great variety of cone-bearing trees, 
although the deal or pine cut from different 
trees varies considerably in quality and gen- 
eral utility. It may be broadly distinguished 
as Red or Yellow Pine — for the names are 
indifferently used — and White Pine. In the 
one kind, the ground color of the wood is 
yellow, diversified with markings of pale 
red; in the other kind, the wood is of a 
whitish color, whence its name. The Amer- 
ican White Pine is highly esteemed in car- 
pentry work from its softness and the ease 
with which it can be worked. While not 
strong, it is durable. The difference in the 
two kinds of wood is this : the grain of the 
Yellow Pine is generally very straight and 
free from knots, and it is very durable, 
though it is soft and easily worked. This 
renders it peculiarly appropriate for all 
building purposes, whether in the construc- 
tion of houses or ships. The great height 
and straightness of the pine renders it well 
suited for the masts of ships ; and when 
stained and varnished the timber presents a 
handsome appearance for joiners' work in 
houses. White Pine is harder and not so 
straight-grained as Yellow Pine, and it is 
generally full of knots. The variety known 
as Silver Fir is used for flooring, and also in 
the manufacture of household furniture. 

The Oak. The best Oak timber in the 
world is grown in America and Great 
Britain, from whose forests, until iron came 
so much into use for ship building, all the 



Oak was derived for the splendid fleeti 
which have commanded the sovereignty of 
the seas. Although the grain is somewhat 
open — too open, indeed, for the purposes 
of the turner — the wood is extremely hard 
and durable, but difficult to work, and apt 
to take the edge pretty quickly off the work- 
man 's tools. The wood is dark in color 
and susceptible of a high polish. It is 
much used in house building, for houses of 
the better class, for floors, staircases, doors, 
the paneling of rooms, etc., and for tables, 
chairs, sideboards, and other pieces of 
housciiold lUrniture. 

'TM,^ Poplar. This wood is white, soft, 
and brittle, and is chiefly used in the manu- 
facture of boxes, cases, and children's toys. 
The softness of the wood causes glass grind- 
ers and lapidaries to use horizontal sections 
as polishing wheels. The wood of the pop- 
lar is not liable to shrink, warp, or swell. 
The fret-sawyer will find it useful for back- 
grounds, linings, and veneered work. 

The wood of the Walnut is extremely 
useful and valuable, and is used in the arts 
for many purposes, of which not the least 
important is that of the manufacture of 
ornamental furniture. Its only drawback 
is its want of density, which renders it 
liable to injury from blows and rough 
usage. It is as useful to the turner as to 
the cabinet-maker, and works well in the 
lathe. It is desirable to get walnut wood 
from old, well-grown trees, for the older the 
tree the more beautiful and diversified are 
the markings of the wood. 

For fret- sawing and all kinds of cabinet 
work, the wood known as Black Walnut 
is the most suitable. Unless well seasoned 
by kiln-drying, or some similar process, it 
is apt to warp and split. It will take a 
beautiful polish, and still look well. Plain 
oiling seems to harden the fibre, and a dead 
polish will often show better in the work 
than though it shone like a mirror. This 
wood ought never to be varnished, since this 
gives a common look to the article, as it 
always brings out the grain. 

The White Walnut, known in the 
United States as the butternut, is a pretty 
wood, but soft. It cuts clean, and is 
adapted for many kinds of work, which, 
however, must not be delicate in design. 
20 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



It Has the same grain as Black Walnut, 
stains well, and shows oiling to advantage. 

Strength and Breaking Strain. 

The most important qualities of build- 
ing material necessary to consider are its 
strength and breaking strain or breaking 
weight, and the amount of pressure which 
can be safely laid upon it in accordance 
with its form, thickness, position, etc. 
It has been ascertained by actual ex- 
perimentj that the strength of a beam or 
girder of timber, and hence of any piece of 
timber, whether large or small, increases 
directly as the width , and as the square of 
the depth. Thus, if a piece of wood meas- 
uring three inches in breadth and three 
Inches in depth — that is to say, nine inches 
square in section — will bear a certain weight, 
a beam six inches broad and three inches 
deep will bear twice the weight ; but a beam 
three inches broad and six inches deep will 
h^2sfour times the weight. The strength is 
also inversely as the length. If two beams 
of equal breadth and depth betaken, but one 
of them be twice as long as the other, the 
longer beam will only bear half the breaking 
weight that the shorter one will sustain, or, 
in other words, will be only half as strong. 

It will now be clear why, in laying joists 
to sustain a floor, the timbers are so placed 
as to have considerable depth from top to 
bottom, while the breadth is comparatively 
narrow. 

A continued strain tends to weaken the 
povv^er of resistance in a beam, and the power 
will be lessened still more when the weight 
is variable, or is a rolling instead of a 
dead weight. The nature of the wood must 
also be taken into account : thus, some in 
which the fibre is long and the grain straight 
will bend to a verj' great degree, whik 



others in which the grain is short and close 
will scarcely bend at all, but break sud- 
denly. In framing timber, as the carpenter 
is called upon to do, all these points must 
be taken into consideration. 

The instantaneous breaking weight of 
any kind of wood is the weight under which 
it will give way and break when loaded with 
the weight in the centre. It has been said 
that the load with which a beam may be 
weighted without risk should never exceed 
more than one-third oi tho. breaking weight ; 
but it is better and safer never to let the 
load exceed one-fourih of the breaking 
weight. Indeed, it is argued that timber is 
permanently injured if more than this is 
applied to it. The best authorities on car- 
pentry say that a load cannot be looked on 
as safe if it exceeds one-fifth part of the 
breaking weight. 

It is by no means a difiicult thing to 
find the breaking weight of every piece of 
timber, and, this being known, the load that 
it will sustain without injury ; this as it has 
just been shown, estimated by different 
authorities at from one-fifth to one-third of 
the breaking weight. The following is a 
general rule for finding the breaking weight 
in the middle for girders of wood supported 
at both ends : 

Rule. — Multiply the bi'eadth in inches by 
the square of the depth in inches, mid divide 
by the le7igth of bearing in feet. The result 
obtained, when multiplied by a certain con- 
stant or invariable quantity, for the kind of 
timber tmder consideration , gives the breaking 
weight in the centre in hundredweights. 

This constant or invariable quantity, 
which has been determined by a series of 
experiments, is stated by Barlow to be : For 
Ash, 6 ; for Oak, 5 ; for Pitch Pine, 5 ; foi 
Red Pine, 4 ; for White Pine, 3. 



TOOLS USED IN CARPENTRY 



An able author and artisan, describes 
the tools used in carpentry in groups as fol- 
lows, namely, "Striking tools, saws, cut- 
ting tools, planes, boring tools, pincers, 
guides, and auxiliary appliances." It 
seems possible, however, to render the classi- 
fication more complete by the following 
arrangement : 

2qB.R. - J2I 



I. Striking Tools. 

1. Tools that are tised for striking only^, 

as Hammers and Mallets. 

2 . Tools that are used for striking and cut- 

ting, as Hatchets, Axes, Adzes, etc. 
II. Rasping Tools, or Tools that act 

BY abrasion. 

I. Saws of all kinds, for cutting wood. 



8 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



2. Rasps and Files, for smoothing, shap- 
ing, cutting, etc. 

Til. Paring Tools of all Kinds. 

1 . Planes of various kinds, for smoothing, 

moulding, etc. 

2. Spokeshaves and Drawing-knives . 

3. Chisels and Gouges. 

IV. Boring Tools. 

1. Bradawls, Gimlets, a7id Angers. 

2. Brace and Bit, sometitnes called Stock 

and Bit. 

V. Holding or Grasping Tools. 

1 . Pincers and Pliers , Nippers, Spammers, 

and Wrenches . 

2. The Vice, i7icludhig Ha7id-vice, Bench- 

Vice, etc. 

VI. Tools of Guidance and Direction. 

1 . The Carpefiter' s Rule and Chalk Line. 

2. The Square, Bevel, Gauge, Mortishig- 

Gauge, Mitre- Box. 

3. Spirit Level, Straight Edge, Plumb 

and Level. 

4. Compasses and Callipers. 

VII. Miscellaneous Tools not subject 

TO Classification. 

I. Screwdriver, Nail-punch, Scriber, Ry- 
iner or Reamer, etc. 

Striking Tools. 

Of hammers, the amateur should possess 
three — namely, an ordinary joiner's hammer 
for heavy work, a lighter one of the same 
form for medium work, and a light ham- 
jier with a small face, usually known as a 
"ladies' hammer," for driving brads and 
.^mall fine nails into small light work. If 
he determines to do any veneering, there is a 
special kind of hammer used for this pur- 
pose which must be obtained. 

Many other kinds of hammers are used 
fur various kinds of work, but those named 
will be sufficient for the amateur's purpose. 

In striking a tool with a wooden handle, 
as a chisel, the wooden mallet, not the 
hammer, should be used, a convenient size 
having a head 6 inches long and 2^ by 3}^ 
inches wide in face. The amateur must 
remember that tools of a medium size are 
always likely to be most useful to him. 

12 



The tools that are used for cutting as 
well as striking, whose blow severs or splits 
as well as drives forward, are the adze and 
axe, or hatchet. The adze is not likely to 
be required by the amateur ; it is used 
chiefly by shipwrights in ship building, and 
sometimes by the carpenter. It is with the 
Axe or Hatchet that the amateur artisan 
is more immediately concerned, and this is 
a tool that he cannot do without, for it may 
be made useful in a variety of ways. In 
framing timber together it can be used as a 
hammer, instead of the heavy carpenter's 
hammer, which the amateur need not place 
among his tools ; and for sharpening stakes 
or cutting down timber to the size required 
in the rough, or for splitting pieces of wood, 
it is invaluable. It should be kept well 
sharpened, for a blunt axe is useless for any 
purpose, so far as cutting is concerned, ex- 
cept splitting firewood. 

Rasping Tools. 

Rasping Tools are those which act by 
abrasion or rubbing away the material to 
which they are applied. 

There are many kinds of saws in use, 
but those which the amateur artisan will 
most require are the Hand Saw, Tenon 
Saw, Dovetail Saw, Keyhole Saw, and 
Frame Saw. These are sufficient for all 
ordinary work. To these, in order to save 
wear and tear of the hand saw, a saw called 
a rip, or ripping, saw may be added. This 
saw has large, triangular teeth, and is used 
for sawing along the grain. It is therefore 
useful for sawing planks, battens, and 
boards the way of the grain ; the work be- 
ing done more expeditiously with a rip saw 
than a hand saw. 

The Hand Saw is generally useful, and 
will serve the purpose of a rip saw or a 
panel saw, a finer kind of saw used by 
joiners. 

The Tenon Saw is used more especially 
for cutting across the grain of the wood, 
and leaves the surface of the wood that is 
divided by it as smooth as is possible when 
the nature of the operation is considered. 
The blade is of necessity thin and fine, and, 
in order to keep it straight when in use, it 
is inserted into a back of iron or brass. It 
is worked by means of a handle differing in 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



form from that of the hand saw. A tenon 
saw to be really useful should be from 14 to 
18 inches in length. 

The DovETAii. Saw and the Sash Saw 
are nothing more than tenon saws of small 
size, being identical with these in shape and 
make. They range from 8 to 12 inches in 
length. 

The KeyhoIvK Saw consists of a long 
narrow movable blade. The handle is 
pierced throughout with a narrow slit suffi- 
ciently large to allow of the easy passage of 
the saw. It is useful for cutting out curved 
work, while rough coarse fretwork may be 
done with it, and perforated work for rough 
carving. 

Rasps, generally speaking, are used in 
carpentry for cutting away or smoothing 
wood, or for wearing away the sharp edge 
left in a circular hole that has been cut out 
with the keyhole saw, so as to impart a 
bevel to it sloping from above to the under 
part. A rasp is flat on one side and slightly 
convex on the other, and is covered with 
fine projecting points beaten up by a mallet 
and 'punch. They are of different degrees 
of roughness. 

The File, whose ridges are finer than 
those of the rasp, is used for cutting metal 
and sharpening saws. 

Paring Tools. 

Paring Tools, or tools which are used 
for cleaning away the rough, ragged surface 
left b)^ the teeth of the saw and rendering 
wood smooth and even, or otherwise for 
cutting wood into various forms and shapes, 
are frequently called edge tools, as they 
present a sharp, keen edge. Indeed, if they 
are blunt in the least degree they are not fit 
for use. Watch an artisan at his work, and 
you will see him frequently rub his plane- 
iron or chisel on the oil-stone in order to 
sharpen it. An amateur, especially a be- 
ginner, in nine cases out of ten either does 
not think of doing so, or altogether forgets 
that there is any necessity for it, and this is 
one of the chief reasons why amateur's work 
is often so badly done. 

It is important for the amateur to buy 
none but good tools, and to keep them under 
lock and key. He must supplement this by 
keeping them clean and free from rust, and 



123 



learning to whet the edges of all cutting 
tools when they show signs of dullness. 

The tools that are comprised in the first 
group of paring tools are Planes. Of these 
there is a great variety, as formerly, before 
molding was made by machinery, every 
different pattern required a different plane 
or plane-iron. The planes that are most 
necessary to an amateur are a jack-plane 
and a smoothing-plane. 

The Jack-Planb is from 15 to 18 inches 
long and 2^ inches broad, and about the 
same in depth. Near one end is a handle 
projecting upwards, and near the other a 
hole for the reception of the plane-iron, 
which is held in its place by a wedge. 
Planes of this description, and smoothing- 
planes also, are usually made with double 
irons ; that is to say, with two irons held 
together by a short screw. 

The Smoothing-Plank is different from 
the jack-plane in shape, being about 8 
inches long and 2^ inches to 3 inches 
broad, in the widest part where the iron 
issues from the wood, tapering to a width 
of about 2 inches in front and i^ inches 
behind, so that it may be more easily held 
in the hand. The jack-plane is used for 
taking the rough surface from the sawn 
timber, and when this has been removed 
the smoothing-plane is used to make the' 
surface of the wood perfectly smooth and 
even. 

The SpokeshavE and the Drawing- 
Knife are the tools that are comprised in the 
second division of paring tools. The draw- 
ing-knife is useful for reducing the size of 
any piece of wood that it may be incon- 
venient to cut down in any other way. 
The spokeshave, as its name implies, may 
be used for imparting a smooth surface to 
the spokes of wheels, but it is also useful 
for smoothing down any surface that is not 
required to be perfectly flat. Thus, a 
beveled edge may be given to a round hole 
of any large size cut in a piece of wood. 
The drawing-knife is always worked to- 
wards the operator, but the spokeshave may 
be used in a direction either towards or 
from the person who is using it. 

The third and last division of paring 
tools comprises Chisels and GouGES. In 
reality the plane in its simplest form, as 



ro 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



seen in the jack-plane and smoothing-plane, 
is nothing more than a chisel of consider- 
able width set in a block of wood, which 
serves as a guide, and by means of which 
the operator is enabled to work the tool 
with greater ease and accuracy. A chisel 
is a flat and thick piece of steel, of which 
the cutting end is ground to a bevel, in or- 
der to obtain a keen edge, while the other 
is fashioned into a tang, with a projecting 
shoulder, which fits close against the 
wooden handle into which the tang is in- 
serted. The gouge differs from the chisel 
in being hollow instead of flat. Chisels are 
distinguished as firmer chisels, paring chis- 
els, mortising chisels, and turning chisels. 
It must be said, however, that the last- 
named variety difiers from the other kinds 
of chisels in being ground to a bevel on 
both sides instead of one side only. 

It may be mentioned that the tool called 
a cold chisel IS a long piece of steel, beveled 
on both sides at one end to a blunt edge, 
used by carpenters and others to knock out 
a hole in a wall of stone or brick for the 
insertion of a wedge, the end of a piece of 
timber, etc. 

About half-a-dozen chisels and the same 
number of gouges will be the utmost num- 
ber that the amateur will require ; and, for 
both chisels and gouges, the widths to be 
selected may be placed at ^ in., Y^ in., 
^ in., I in., i^ in., and i>2 in. The or- 
dinary carpenter's chisels should be pur- 
chased first of all. A few paring chisels 
can be added to the stock at any time if 
required. 

Boring Tools. 

The tools comprised in the first division 
of boring tools are bradawls, gimlets, and 
augers. These tools are, for the most part, 
extremely simple in construction, the brad- 
awl being a piece of steel sharpened at the 
end and fixed for convenience of use in a 
wooden handle ; and the gimlet a piece of 
steel so fashioned at one end that it may 
take hold of, and cut its way into, timber, 
and having a small piece of wood or iron 
attached crosswise at the other end, which 
serves as a lever to turn the steel shank of 
the tool, and press it into the wood. The 
auger is only a gimlet on a large scale, the 



124 



cross handle being turned by the operator 
with both hands, which are transferred from 
end to end of the handle at every half-turn 
of the tool. 

The Bit-brace or Stock-and-Bit, is 
the principal boring tool, and, indeed, the 
only tool of this kind with which the ama- 
teur artisan need concern himself. There 
are breast-drills, fitted with a plate to hold 
against the breast, steadied with a handle 
held in the left hand, and having a chuck 
at the further extremity, in which the drill 
is placed and caused to revolve at a rapid 
rate by a large toothed-wheel working in a 
smaller wheel, the former being turned by a 
handle held in the right hand. 

Other Tools. 

In good carpentry everything depends 
on accuracy of measurement of parts, and 
fitting the parts together at right angles, or 
at the required angle or bevel. For the at- 
tainment of these most necessary requisites, 
tools of guidance and directioji of various 
kinds are used, without which it would be 
impossible even for a skilled carpenter or 
joiner to do his work, and fit the various 
pieces together with the nicety that is essen- 
tial in all operations of this nature. Thus, 
for setting out a long, straight line in rip- 
ping a slip of wood from a board, a line aiid 
}'eel is required ; and for the measurement of 
any length into parts, or to measure any re- 
quired length, breadth, and thickness, the 
carpenter's rule is needful. For cutting ofl" 
the end of a board at right angles to the 
edge, or for mortising, etc., the square must 
be used, and for cutting wood at any given 
angle to the edge, the proper line of 
direction for the saw must be marked by ai(i 
of the bevel. For cutting notches in wood 
or for cutting or planing down pieces of 
wood to the same thickness, the necessary 
guide lines must be marked b}'' a marking 
gauge, while in mortising the mortise gauge 
is used. 

For joining pieces of wood at right 
angles, as in making a picture-frame, re- 
course must be had to the mitre box ; and 
for subdividing any given space into smallei 
spaces, or marking out circles and sweeps 
of various diameters, the compasses must be 
used. In turning, to make sure of having 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



II 



the diameter of various parts of the work in 
harmony with the pattern, these diameters 
must one and all be tried and regulated by 
Xh& callipers as the work goes on. In bring- 
ing horizontal bars, shelves, etc., to a true 
level, the spb'it level must be used ; and in 
fixing a post in the ground, or a piece of 
quartering to the wall, the icpright level with 
cord and plumb-bob. A straight-edge is 
useful for testing the nicety and accuracy 
with which wood has been planed up, and 
for other purposes. We name these, though 
the amateur is not likely to need them all. 
There are many miscellaneous tods and ap- 
pliances used in carpentry and joinery 
which are not subject to classification. 
Among these we may include the screw- 
driver, the nail-punch, the reamer or rymer, 
the scriber, the cramp, the glue-pot, and the 
oil-can. Sand-paper and emery-paper must 
also be noticed. There is another appliance 
called the bench holdfast, which is used to 
hold wood firmly down on the carpenter's 
bench when necessary. 

These tools are so simple and easily ob- 
tained that a description of each is not neces- 
sary. In their selection cheapness is not to be 
considered, but accuracy and convenience. 

The Glue-Pot. 

The GluK-Pot should be in every 
house, whether the tenant turns his atten- 
tion to household carpentry or not. So 
many little odd jobs can be done by its aid, 
that, if nothing more than a hammer and 
screw-driver be kept, a glue-pot should be 
purchased. For example, a piece of veneer 
may come off a looking-glass frame, or any 
piece of furniture, and may be mislaid or 
lost before a. carpenter : happens to be at 
work in the house, putting these and sim- 
ilar little matters in order. Now, if the 
piece of veneer is lost it will be a costly 
business — that is to say, costly in pro- 
portion to the actual damage — to replace it, 
and if the missing piece is not replaced 
the appearance of the piece of furniture is 
spoiled, and its value considerably deterior- 
ated. But, if a glue-pot is at hand, the 
damage may be instantly repaired, and if 
the mending is carefully done, as it ought 
to be, the piece of furniture is little the 
worse for the mishap. 



The glue-pot is a pot within a pot, the 
outer and larger one being of iron, and the 
smaller one of copper or iron, as the case 
may be. The glue is broken up small, and 
placed in the smaller pot, which fits into 
the larger pot, the rim of the former resting 
on the rim of the latter. Water is placed 
in the larger pot, sufiicient to nearly fill it 
when the smaller pot is put in. The pot is 
placed on or close to the fire, and as soon 
as the water boils the glue begins to melt, 
until it is reduced to a semi-fluid condition. 

Recipe for Making Glue. 

The following is a good recipe for mak- 
ing, or, rather melting, glue. It is given by 
an authority in ' ' Workshop Receipts : ' ' 
" Break the glue into small pieces, and 
soak from twelve to twenty-four hours in 
cold water ; put the glue in the glue-pot, 
fill the outer vessel with water, and apply 
heat. For ordinary purposes it should run 
freely, and be of the consistency of thin 
treacle. The hotter glue is, the more force 
it will exert in keeping the two parts glued 
together; in all large and long joints the 
glue should be applied immediately after 
boiling. Glue loses much of its strength 
by being often melted ; that glue, there- 
fore, which is newly made is preferable 
to that which has been used. When 
done with, add some of the boiling water 
from the outer vessel to the glue, so as to 
make it too thin for immediate use. Put it 
away till wanted again, and by the time the 
water in the outer vessel is boiled the glue 
in the inner is ready melted and of the 
proper thickness for use. Powdered chalk, 
brickdust, or sawdust, added to glue, will 
make it hold with more than ordinary firm- 
ness." 

To do any kind of work in carpentry 
and joinery, with blunted tools, in a credita- 
ble and workman-like manner is simply im- 
possible. The professional carpenter and 
joiner will frequently stop in his work to 
put his plane-iron and chisel on the oil- 
stone — for he is well aware of the import- 
ance of having a keen edge to all cutting 
tools of this description — and he will take 
care to keep his saws sharpened and fit foi 
use. It is necessary that the amateui 
artisan should imitate the resrular mechanic 



125 



12 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



in this essential duty of keeping his tools in 
a fit condition to do the work that is re- 
quired of them. 

Directions for Sharpening Tools. 

Of course all cutting tools must be pro- 
vided with a keen edge, and this is obtained 
by grinding them to a proper bevel on the 
grindstone and afterwards rubbing them on 
the oil-stone. Among striking tools the adze 
and hatchet will require sharpening on the 
grindstone. 

For sharpening or rather for grinding 
edge tools such as plane irons and chisels, 
the grindstone is also necessary, finishing 
off on an oil-stone. It is necessary that the 
cutting edge should be made as straight and 
true as possible. 

The following directions are for grinding 
edge tools, which the amateur will do well 
to follow implicitly, as it is given by a 
practical wqrkman of great experience. ' ' In 
grinding plane irons, chisels, and similar 
tools, the stone sho7ild tnrn towards the ope- 
rator,, and the tool should be held very 
firmly and quite squarely upon the stone, at 
a point sufficiently near its upper part to 
allow the tool to be in a nearly horizontal 
position, while its bevel lies flat upon it. If 
it is held too low, so that its handle points 
downwards, the water from the stone will 
run down the hands and arms, which is de- 
cidedly disagreeable, especiall)' in winter." 
n addition the tool cannot be so firmly 
held nor the work so readily seen. Keep 
the edges of the stone in use by constantly 
traversing the tool across its face, and 
never try to hurry the work by grinding to 
1 more obtuse bevel than that made by the 
nanufacturer. This is, indeed, generally 
rather more obtuse than it ought to be, and 
carpenters reduce this angle, and then the 
second bevel, formed by the oil-stone, re- 
stores it correctly. In grinding planes and 
-hisels, especially the first, it is as well for 



the amateur to make use of a square to test 
the correctness of the edge, otherwise the 
latter may not be truly at right angles to the 
side of the tool. 

The Carpenter's Bench. 

One of the most indispensable essentials 
to the performance of operations in carpen- 
try and joinery is the carpenter's bench. 
Nothing can be fairly done without it — ex- 
cept sawing, for which the stool is wanted ; 
or mortisin'g, which may also be done on a 
couple of stools or trestles, although small 
mortises maybe cut on the bench. Planing 
mufet be done entirely on the bench, the sur- 
face of a board being laid flat on the top of 
the bench and butted against the bench- 
stop. In planing the edges, the board must 
be laid along the side of the bench, being 
supported on pegs (for the reception of 
which holes are made along the side itself) 
in the middle, and at one end nearest the 
operator, while it is gripped and held tightly 
against the side by the bench-jaw or vice at 
the other end. 

How to Hold and Handle Tools. 

Having provided oneself with the neces- 
sary tools and work bench, or such a selec- 
tion from the whole as may best meet his 
requirements, the next thing to be done is 
to learn how to use them. It is next to im- 
possible to do this from printed instructions ; 
and on the principle that a little showing is 
better than a great deal of telling, the best 
advice that can be given to the amateur on 
this head is that he should arrange with 
some skilled artisan to give him a few prac- 
tical lessons in the method of holding, 
using, managing, and sharpening his tools, 
and the everyday operations in carpentry 
and joinery, such as sawing, planing, scar- 
fing timbers, cutting rebates, mortises and 
tenons, dove-tailing, mitring, etc., etc. 



THE DIVISIONS OF THE BUILDING TRADE 



When any art or manufacture begins to 
assume importance, and there is a continu- 
ally increasing demand for the articles, be 
they what they may, that are made by those 



who are engaged in it, it has been invariably 
found that in due proportion to its growth 
the art or manufacture, as the case may be, 
becomes divided and even subdivided into 
126 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



13 



many and various branches, until it is well- 
nigh impossible to carry the subdivision of 
the trade to a greater extent. 

The building trade is an aggregation of 
various trades and their separate depart- 
ments, which have become affiliated, as it 
were, and grouped together for the better 
attainment of the end desired. 

Taking each a prominent and active 
part in the building trade we find the exca- 
vator, bricklayer, mason, pavior, slater, 
plasterer, carpenter and joiner, sawyer, 
ironmonger, smith and founder, zinc- 
worker, wire-worker, bell-hanger, gas-fitter, 
plumber, painter, decorator, gilder, ppper- 
hanger and glazier — a goodly array of 
tradesmen and artisans whose aid and co- 
operation is absolutely necessary in building 
and finishing a house. 

Practical Knowledge of all the Trades. 

It is in doing repairs of an ordinary 
nature that the amateur will find practical 
knowledge of the arts connected with the 
building trades of use to him, in the first 
place. Secondly, he will find it of equal 
val'ite in constructing any small building for 
use or ornament, or for both, out of doors, 
or for making any appliance within doors ; 
and thirdly, as it has been already urged, 
he will find it of even more value in en- 
abling him tc look after men who may be at 
work on his premises, and in seeing that the 
work is done in a proper manner. 

Excavations of all kinds can easily be 
compassed by the amateur, and he will find 
no difficulty whatever in making and using 
concrete. In connection with this kind of 
work lies the making of walls and paths of 
all kinds, and no one will deny that it is of 
advantage to the amateur to know how to 
do these things. In building walls with 
brick and stone he will probably fail, and 
more particularly because it is by no means 
as easily done as other kinds of work that 
fall more naturally within his compass ; but, 
at the same time, it is desirable to know 
how to repair and ' ' point ' ' a piece of gar- 
den wall, as it is technically called ; to fix 
a step that has become loose with cement ; 
to put a piece of paving to rights and relay 
a loose paving-stone ; and to repair a piece 
13 



127 



of plastering that has been displaced by 
damp or other causes. 

Work in Metals. 

Similarly he may not be able to accom- 
plish much in smiths' work, but it is cer- 
tainly of advantage to be able to work in 
iron so far as to be able, by aid of fire, ham- 
mer, and anvil, to beat a piece of iron into 
any shape that may be required, to drill a 
hole, and to turn a screw, which operations 
come under the category of forging. Cast- 
ing, which necessitates the melting of metal 
in a furnace and running it into a mold, 
is an operation which may well be left to 
the iron- founder ; but it is useful to possess 
an iron ladle, and run in lead round an iron 
bar or rail that has been loosened in the 
socket cut for it in a stone coping or step. 

Zinc-working, as far as making a simple 
shoot and covering a small flat roof are con- 
cerned, and wire- working in the construc- 
tion of a wire trellis, hanging basket, sieve 
for sifting earth or cinders, or repairing such 
articles, are far more practicable ; and sol- 
dering and simple working in sheet metal 
are matters with which the amateur may 
readily make himself acquainted. Plumb- 
ing and gas-fitting, which if badly and in- 
efficiently done may involve serious conse- 
quences, are best left to professional artisans ; 
but it is as well to know how to stop a leak 
in a pipe on an emergency, how to take 
down a gasalier, clean it, and put it in its 
place again, and how to substitute new gas- 
burners for old ones with safety. 

Decorative Work. 

In the decorative portions of the build- 
ing trade he will find no very great difficulty. 
House-painting — that is to say, covering 
wood or metal with a uniform surface of oil 
paint — may be easily managed, and to a 
person possessed of taste and manual skill 
the work done by the decorator will present , 
no very great difficulty. Paper-hanging re- 
quires nothing more than care and a certain 
amount of manual dexterity. Glazing is 
more easily done than most of the work that 
has been mentioned, but as it involves 
handling putty it is not, perhaps, very de- 
sirable work. Still, it is work that should 
be taken up and carried out by the amateur 



14 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



as he can put in a pane of glass for about 
half the price at which a professional glazier 
will do it if the work be such as can be done 
at the shop, as the glazing of a light for a 
pit-frame, etc., and for from one-sixth to 
one-fourth the Drice charged if it be a 
window. 

Practical Points in Excavating. 

The following facts with regard to exca- 
vator's work, may be of use: "In loose 
ground a man can throw up about lo cubic 
yards per day, but in hard or gravelly soils 
5 yards will be a fair day's work. Three 
men will remove 30 yards of earth a dis- 
tance of 20 yards in a day. A yard (cubic) 
of concrete requires about 3 hours' labor to 
mix and throw in, or if in heavy masses, 
and the materials handy, about 2 hours. 
With regard to the weight of materials, 19 
cubic feet of sand, 18 ditto clay, 24 ditto 
earth, 15)^ ditto lime, 20 ditto gravel, will 
each weigh one ton. A cubic yard of 
earth before digging will occupy about i^ ■ 
cubic yards when dug. Sand and gravel 
does not increase more than one-third as 
much as earth in bulk when dug, but will 
decrease in height one-fourth more than 
earth. A wheelbarrow (that is to say the 
broad, shallow barrow used by navvies) 
holds jV yard cube. A cubic yard, or 27 cubic 
feet of earth, is a single load, and contains 
20 bushels ; i ciibic yard of gravel contains 
18 bushels in the pit ; when dug it will in- 
crease nearly one-third in bulk, but will 
subside nearly one-fourth in height, and de- 
crease one- fifth in bulk when formed into 
embankments. When earth is well drained 
it will stand in embankment about i^ 
to I." 

This will prove a useful rule for the 
amateur in throwing up embankments, 
mounds, etc., in his grounds or garden. If 
revetted, to use an engineer's term, or cov- 
ered with turf, the inclination may be 
greater, because the roots of the grass bind 
the surface earth together and keep it from 
being washed down by heavy rains. This 
will be evident from an inspection of the 
side of a hedge or bank covered with turf 
which may be inclined to the horizontal 
base line at angles ranging from 10° 
to 20°. 



J 28 



flaking Qood Concrete. 

Concrete, now so much used in forming 
the foundations of buildings of every de- 
scription, and even the walls themselves, is 
a mixture of cement and sand, gravel, 
broken stones, brick rubbish, or similiar 
materials in the proportion of one part of 
cement to five or six parts of any of the 
other ingredients that are used in its manu- 
facture. Good lime is often used instead of 
cement, but the amateur, if he uses lime at 
all, is advised to use cement with it in equal 
parts. The cement, being the substance 
that binds the gravel ballast, etc., together 
into a solid mass impervious to water, is 
technically called the matrix, and the sub- 
stance that is added to the lime is called the 
^r eg ate. 

It may be said that any waste material 
of a hard nature may be used as aggregate 
in making concrete, sand and gravel of all 
kinds, including pea or fine gravel, pit 
gravel, river gravel, ashes, cinders, and 
coke, lime chippings, flints, old stones and 
bricks, especially when broken, broken 
earthenware and stoneware, and rubbish 
from the brickyard may all be used. Slag, 
too, the refuse of the iron furnaces, can be 
made available whenever it can be obtained. 
It should not be used in too large sizes. 
Pieces about the size of stones ordinarily 
used for mending roads, or such as will pass 
through a ring oi 2^/2 inches in diameter, 
are best suited for the purpose when the 
material is broken up on purpose for mak- 
ing concrete. 

Any of the various cements in general 
use may be used in the manufacture of con- 
crete, but the amateur is recommended in 
all cases to use Portland cement. 

Quantities of Cement Used. 

When made into stucco for covering a 
wall, the following table will show the ex 
tent of surface that a bushel of cement may 
be made to cover when used pure or with 
various proportions of sand, and at certain 
thicknesses : 

I bushel of cement will cover i \i yards 
I inch thick, 1% yards Y^ inch thick, 2^ 
yards >^ inch thick ; i bushel of cement 
and I of sand, 2^ yards i iach thick, 3 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



15 



yards ^ inch thick, 43^ yards Y^ inch thick ; ' 
I bushel of cement and 3 of sand, 3}^ yards 
I inch thick, 4;^ yards ^ inch thick, 63^ 
yards Y^ inch thick. 

As cement will not keep, especially in a 
moist atmosphere, the amateur, when he re- 
quires a small quantity for repairs, is re- 
commended to buy just so much as he 
wants and no more. 

In making concrete, it is important, in 
the first place, that the aggregate, be it 
what it may, should be deposited on a clean 
place — 'if on old boards, as scaffold boards, 
so much the better — so that no dirt may 
get mixed up with it. The concrete itself 
should be made on boards, nailed together 
on ledges or on three putlogs placed on the 
ground parallel to one another, forming a 
rough platform. The aggregate and the 
cement or lime used as the matrix must then 
be placed on the boards, the aggregate being 
measured out first, and the proper propor- 
tion of concrete to the aggregate being also 
measured out and thrown upon it. The 
heap is then wetted with water poured over 
it from a large water-pot fitted with a fine 
rose, and the whole is then mixed until the 
materials are thoroughly amalgamated. 

Bricklayinjf 

Bricklaying is in itself an apparently 
simple process, inasmuch as it consists 
merely in laying or disposing regular and 
similar rectangular pieces of baked clay 
one upon another, layer upon layer, until a 
certain height is reached, spreading a com- 
position of lime and sand called mortar be- 
tween each layer, which hardens and con- 
nects the bricks together in a tolerably solid 
mass. There is, however, much more skill 
in bricklaying than is apparent at first 
sight, and really good bricklaying cannot 
be done without practice any more than 
other building processes. 

The tools requisite in bricklaying are a 
large, strong steel trowel, with which mor- 
tar may be spread and bricks chopped asun- 
der or reduced to any extent that may be 
required in order to produce a perfect bond. 
Mortar is carried up the ladder, and on to 
the part of the scaffolding where the brick- 
layer is at work, by his attendant laborer, 
in a vessel called a hod, which is shaped 



like a box, open at one end and cut across 
diagonally, and fitted at the bottom angle 
into a short pole. Then a small trowel for 
pointing, and a mortar-board to hold in the 
hand, on which the mortar or cement is 
carried. 

A brick is accounted to be 9 inches 
long, 4'/^ inches broad, and Q-Yt. inches 
thick, the breadth being half the length, 
and the thickness rather more than half the 
breadth, or one-fourth the length ; an ar- 
rangement which renders bricks more con- 
venient to use, owing to the correspondence 
and harmony of proportions in length, 
breadth, and thickness. The equivalents 
of the thicknesses of walls enumerated in 
terms of bricks will, therefore, be, when 
expressed in inches, ^ brick =4^ in.; i 
brick =9 in.; 1Y2 bricks =13^^ in.; 2 
bricks = 18 in. ; 2}^ bricks = 22^ in., etc. 
There are many different kinds of bricks, 
embracing the three classes of building 
bricks, fire-bricks, and clinkers, or paving 
bricks. 

Mortar for Brickwork. 

Bricks are cemented together with mor- 
tar, which is a mixture of lime and sand 
brought to a pasty consistence by the addi- 
tion of water. When it is desired to make 
brickwork as strong and durable as possi- 
ble, the mortar should be made of cement, 
or a little cement should be added to the 
lime. The following are the proportions : 

lyime and sand, and cement and sand, 
lose about one-third their bulk when made 
into mortar, and lime and Portland cement 
both require one-third their bulk of water 
to mix. For a rod of brickwork (contain- 
ing 306 cubic feet and needing 4,352 
bricks), 71 cubic feet of mortar will be 
required, and to make this quantity are re- 
quired xYi cubic yards of unslaked lime 
and 3 of sand ; or i cubic yard of stone 
lime and 3>^ of sand ; or 36 bushels of 
cement, and the same quantity of sharp 
sand. Lime or cement and sand, to make 
mortar, require as much water as is equal 
to one-third of their bulk, or about 5>^ 
barrels for a rod of brickwork built with 
mortar. 

The mortar used by the old builders was 
far more durable than the mortar used in 



129 



i6 



THB PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



the present day. It hardened into a mass 
which offered greater resistance to the 
weather than even the stone itself that it 
was used to cement together. 

The cost of brickwork may be easily 
calculated from the above memoranda. 

Soldering and Brazing. 

For zinc-working, plumbing, gasfitting, 
and all kinds of work in sheet metal, a 
knowledge of the processes termed solder- 
ing and brazing is necessary. By these 
processes the edges of pieces of sheet metal 
are joined together, and although it is bet- 
ter for the amateur, for safety's saice, to 
have all zinc-working that he may require 
in the way of covering roofs, making zinc 
pipes, lining wooden cisterns, and similar 
operations, done by the professional zinc- 
worker, and to call in the plumber and gas- 
fitter to rectify any leakage in lead pipes or 
gasfittings, it is as well that he should 
know how to make a joint in metal, whether 
sheet or pipe, and possess the few appli- 
ances necessary for doing so. If he can do 
no more than repair tin pots, kettles, etc., 
it will be of advantage to him, for the 
itinerant tinman seldom does his work 
effectually , and seems never to be at hand 
when his services are most required . 

First, then, with regard to soldering 
and brazing. They may both be described 
as methods of uniting pieces of either the 
same or different kinds of metal with a 
strong and, if necessary, water-tight joint. 

To effect this by the first-named opera- 
tion, namely soldering, a compound metal 
called solder is used. This composition is 
melted, but the metals to be united do not 
require to be heated otherwise than through 
contact with the melted solder. 

In the operation of bi-azing the metals 
to be joined must be raised to the melting 
point of the brazing composition, which is 
soft brass. Although this makes the 
strongest joint, the necessity for exposing 
the articles to such a great heat renders this 
operation inapplicable to many purposes. 

Soldering is very useful for joining cop- 
per and copper, copper and brass, copper 
and iron, brass and brass, brass and iron, 
tin and tin, and tin and any other metal. 
If the joint has to stand a rather high 



degree of heat — such, for instance, as the 
seams of a small copper steam boiler — a 
/mr^ solder must be used. By hard solder 
is meant one that only fuses at a high tem- 
perature ; a soft solder, on the contrary, 
fuses at a low degree of heat. 

The following are the compositions of 
some of the most useful of solders and 
alloys, with the degree of heat required to 
melt each : 



Tin. 

1 part 

2 " 

2 " 

5 " 
5 " 



Lead, 
25 parts 

1 " 

2 " 

3 " 
3 " 



Bismuth. Mercury. 



I part 
3 " 
3 " 



3 parts 



Melts at 
558° Fahr. 
340° " 
292° " 
202° " 

122° " 



How Soldering is Done. 



The surfaces to be united must be thor- 
oughly cleaned and brightened. Without 
this the metal will not adhere. The solder- 
ing iron must be warmed sufficiently to melt 
the solder; it must not be made red-hot, 
because the solder will not " hold to it." 

Whilst the iron is waiming, tin the sur- 
faces by brushing them over with muriatic 
acid, dipping them into melted solder, and 
quickly rubbing off the adherent metal. 
This, if done well, will leave a thin coat of 
solder. When it cannot be done thus, the 
surfaces must be tinned by means of the sol- 
dering iron. In this case they must be 
coated or washed with the acid as before, 
but the solder must be melted on the places 
required with the hot iron. 

When tinned, the surfaces should be 
brought close together, a little acid rubbed 
along the joints, and the iron dipped in the 
acid and put against some solder, so that 
the melted solder will stick to the iron. 
The iron must now be applied to the joints, 
and drawn slowly along in such a manner 
that the metal between the joints is melted, 
and the joints filled up. A little practice 
will soon make the amateur tolerably skilful 
in doing this. The muriatic acid, or spirit 
of salt, as it is sometimes called, must be 
killed, or rendered neutral, before it is used, 
and this is done by putting one or two 
small pieces of zinc into it and allowing it 
to expend all its energy on this. Killed 
acid is much more effective than the raw or 
pure acid. Sometimes resin is used instead 
of the acid ; but the neutralized acid is 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



17 



preferable, because it does not leave the ' 
work in such a mess as resin. 

Should it be desirable for the solder not 
to adhere to any portion of the article, a 
paste must be made with whiting and water, 
and put about those places ; this paste will 
harden with the heat, but can be removed 
after the soldering operation is effected. 

Indoor and Outdoor Painting. 

Nearly all that has been said with regard 
to operations in the building trades is con- 
nected with construction, but here we shall 
speak chiefly of decoration. It has long 
been found necessary to protect wood and 
iron from the ill effects of moisture by a hard 
exterior coating impervious to wet ; and 
hitherto the best preservatives have been 
found to be paint and varnish, through 
which no wet can penetrate as long as they 
remain in a sound state. 

In doing work of this kind, it is much 
better and cheaper to buy paints and var- 
nishes ready mixed. One very good reason 
why the amateur painter should do this is 
that the paint which he makes himself is 
apt to take a long time to get thoroughly 
dry and hard ; and sometimes, even after 
the lapse of several weeks, it is still sticky. 

Before beginning to paint, all dirt and 
projections, such as lumps of glue, etc., 
must be cleared away with the putty-knife 
and duster. Then, if the work be new, all 
the knots in the wood must be killed with 
knotting, to prevent the turpentine in the 
knots from oozing out and spoiling the ap- 
pearance of the painting when finished. 
Knotting is a preparation of red lead, lith- 
arge, boiled oil, and a little turpentine ; the 
amateur is advised to buy the ' ' patent knot- 
ting, " which may be obtained ready for use. 
After the knotting, which dries and hardens 
very quickly, is applied, the priming, 
or first coat, is put on. This is made of 
white lead, with some drying material, and 
a little red lead to harden it. It is made 
very thin with oil, as unpainted wood or 
plaster absorbs the paint very quickly. 

The Several Coats of Paint. 

As soon as the priming is dry, all holes 
made by punching in the heads of nails, 
cracks, etc., must be stopped with putty. 



131 



It is useless to attempt to do this before the 
priming has been applied, because putty 
will not stick to wood unless painted. After 
this has been done the second coat may be 
applied ; and for new work the second coat 
of color should be made up chiefly of oil, 
because oil is the most efficient in stopping 
the suction of the wood ; then a third, and 
even a fourth coat, may be applied. In lay- 
ing on the color, the brush should be passed 
backwards and forwards and in every 
direction, to spread the color evenly and 
work it well into the wood , in the earlier coats. 

Finally, the brush should be drawn uf 
and down, or backwards and forwards, at 
the case may be, in the direction of the grain 
of the wood, taking care to leave no marks 
of the hairs of the brush. In painting a 
door, or any piece of work in which part is 
sunk and part raised, the mouldings or any 
bead-work should be painted first with a 
sash tool, and then the panels, styles, and 
rails with a brush. No coat should be laid 
on a previous coat until that coat shall be 
perfectly dry and hard ; and before begin- 
ning to paint any piece of work, whatever 
may be the number of the coat, every particle 
of dust that may have settled on it should be 
carefully removed with the dusting brush. 

The composition of the paint that is ap- 
plied to old work, and indeed to wood gen- 
erally, must depend upon the style or man- 
ner in which the work is to be finished = The 
first coat after the priming in new work 
should be paint in which the oil predomi- 
nates over the turpentine ; but for the first 
coat for old work the turpentine should be 
in excess of the oil. Paint mixed with oil 
in excess will present a shining surface 
when dry, but paint mixed with turpentine 
in excess will present a flat, dead, dull ap- 
pearance. Therefore, when a shining sur- 
face is required, it is necessary that the 
under coat should be paint mixed with tur- 
pentine, the final coat being mixed with oil ; 
but when the finishing coat is to be " flat- 
ting," as it is technically called, it must be 
laid over an under coat or ground color 
mixed with oil. 

Removing Old Paint. 

When the surface of a coat of paint, that 
is to say, of any under coat, appears rough, 



i8 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



especially in the case of patches in old work 
that have been retouched, the paint, when 
dry, should be rubbed down with fine. glass 
paper until the roughness has disappeared. 
All loose paint, or paint that appears loose 
round the blister-marks, should be scraped 
away with a knife before the putty is put on. 
For cleaning old greasy smoke-stained paint 
limewash or limewater may be used. This 
kills the smoke or grease, on which no oil 
paint will ever dry and harden. Some will 
put a coating of weak size over the smoke 
and grease ; the paint will dry on this, but 
it is very likely that it will soon crack and 
peel off. 

It is not desirable to keep loading on 
coat after coat of paint on old work. It is 
better, when the incrustation caused by suc- 
cessive coats of paint has become very thick, 
to remove the paint entirely and begin de 
novo. There are various modes of removing 
paint. The professional painter will do it 
by the agency of heat, applying a flame to 
the surface of the paint ; the heat soon 
softens the color, and it may then be scraped 
away with a knife. 

Other Modes of Removing Old Paints. 

Recipe. — To Remove Old Paint Jrom 
Woodwork. (i) Make a very strong solu- 
tion of common washing soda, and apply it 
to the paint with a brush until the paint can 
be scraped away. (2) Apply naphtha to the 
paint in the same manner, giving it a second 
and even third damping with this substance 
until the paint yields. When soft enough 
scrape it away with a knife. (3) Slake 
3 lbs. of stone lime in water, and then add to 
this I lb. of pearlash, and sufficient water to 
bring the whole to the consistency of thick 
cream. Apply the preparation with a 
brush, and leave it on the paint for from 
eighteen to twenty-four hours, when it will 
be found that the paint is softened and may 
be easily scraped off. 

The amateur will find it necessary, per- 
haps, to do his painting work at intervals, 
often few and far between. If he leaves 
paint in the paint pot for some length of 
time, he will discover, much to his annoy- 
ance, on resuming work, that the paint is 
too hard and thick to be used. The addi- 
tion of some oil and turpentine may save a 



13^ 



little of it, but it will neither work pleas- 
antly, nor, indeed, be worth using. When- 
ever paint must be put aside, a little cold 
water must be poured on the top of the 
paint. This prevents the evaporation of 
the oil, and keeps the paint all right for 
future use by excluding the air and prevent- 
ing its action in drying and hardening the 
paint. 

The Care of Brushes. 

Similarly, brushes not in use should 
have the bristles or hair kept under water, 
that they may remain soft and flexible. It 
is better, however, when the amateur 
painter does not know how long it may be 
before he uses his brush again, to wash the 
color well out of it by means of a little tur- 
pentine, and then allow the brush to dry. 
When kept in water for some time, the con- 
stant soaking will rot the string and the 
bottom of the wooden handle to which the 
bristles are attached, and the amateur, on 
commencing painting, will experience the 
annoyance of his brush snapping off" short 
like the end of a carrot. 

Various Coloring Substances Used in 
Painting. 

It will be useful to the amateur painter 
to mention the various pigments or color- 
ing substances used in painting to produce 
different simple colors, and to follow these 
with a list of colors that are produced by 
combinations of two or more of these 
colors. White lead, a substance highly 
prejudicial to the health, both of those who 
manufacture it and those who use it, is 
mixed with all colors to tone them down 
and produce different shades, hues, and 
tints. There are, however, othej mineral 
whites capable of supplying the place of 
white lead, which have the advantage of 
being non-poisonous pigments-. 

It will be convenient to classify each set 
of coloring substances, whether mineral or 
otherwise, under the color which it yields 
when properly mixed. 

Table of Simple Coloring Substances. 

(i) Whites. — White lead, including Ceruse and 
Flake White, Zmc White (oxide of zinc), Griffith's 
Zinc White (oxj'-sulphide of zinc — non-poison- 
ous), Spanish White. 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



19 



(2) Blacks.— ^i^vay^ Black, Ivory Black, Blue 
Black, Vegetable Black, Patent Black. 

(3) Yellows. — Chrome Yellow, Turner's or Pat- 
ent Yellow, Naples Yellow, Orpiment, Massicot, 
Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Yellow Lake. 

(4) Reds. — Vermilion (crimson and scarlet). 
Carmine, Cochineal Lake, Madder Lake, Red 
Lead or Minium, Indian Red, Venetian Red, 
Spanish Brown, Purple Brown, Orange Lead, 
Burnt Sienna. 

(5.) Browns. — Umber (burnt and raw), burned 
Prussian Blue, Manganese Brown. 

(6) Blues. — Prussian Blue, Cobalt, Ultramarine, 
French Ultramarine, Blue Verditer. 

(7) Greens. — Verdigris, Scheele's Green, Emer- 
ald Green, Green Verditer, Italian Green, Saxon 
Green, Brunswick Green. 

Recipes for Tints Produced by flixing 
Simple Colors. 

Straw Color. — Chrome yellow and white lead. 

Lemon Color. — Chrome yellow and white lead ; 
more of the first than in straw color. 

Orange. — Chrome yellow and vermilion 
(bright), yellow ochre and red lead (duller). 

Buff. — White lead and yellow ochre. 

Cream Color. — Same as for buflf, but with more 
white. 

Gold Color. — Chrome yellow with a little ver- 
milion and white lead ; or Naples yellow and 
realgar. 

Sto7ie Color. — White lead and yellow ochre, 
with a little burnt or raw umber. 

Stone Color (grey). — White lead, and a small 
quantity of black. 

Drab. — White lead, burnt umber, and a little 
yellow ochre (warm) ; white lead, raw umber, and 
a little black (cool). 

Flesh Color. — Lake, white lead, and a little ver- 
milion. 

Fawn Color. — Same as for flesh color, with 
stone ochre instead of lake. 

Peach Color. — White lead, with vermilion, In- 
dian red, or purple brown. 

Sky Blue. — White lead, Prussian blue, and a 
little lake. 

Olive. — Black, yellow, and a little blue ; or yel- 
low, pink, lamp black, and a little verdigris. 

Chestnut. — Light red and black. 

Sahnon Color. — Venetian red and white lead. 

Chocolate. — Black, with Spanish brown, or Ve- 
netian red. 

Sage Green. — Prussian blue, raw umber, and a 
little ochre, with a little white. 

Olive Green. — Raw umber and Prussian blue. 

Pea Green. — White lead and Brunswick green ; 
or white lead, Prussian bliie, and some chrome 
yellow. 

Pearl Gray. — White lead, with a little black, 
and a little Prussian blue or indigo. 

Silver Gray. — Same as for pearl gray. 

Gray (common). — White lead and a little black. 

Lead Color. — White lead with black or indigo. 

Violet — Vermilion, white lead, and indigo or 
black. 



Purple. — Violet as above, with the addition of 
a rich, dark red, or colors for French gray. 

French Gray. — White lead with Prussian blue 
and a little lake. 

Lilac. — Same as for French gray, but with less 
white. 

Oak Color. — White lead with yellow ochre and 
burnt umber. 

Mahogany Color. — A little black with purple 
brown or Venetian red. 

In all operations of painting, varnishing, 
etc., it is of the greatest importance that 
everything used, whether slab, muller, knife, 
or brushes, should be kept thoroughly clean. 

Varnishes, and Recipes for Making 
Varnishes. 

Varnishes may be bought at the oil and 
color store at reasonable rates. 

A few coats of varnish much improve 
painted or stained work by imparting to 
it a smooth and glossy surface. For some 
work, such as staining, one or two coats 
will be sufficient, but where it is desir- 
able that the appearance of the article 
should be as good as it can possibly be made, 
eight or ten coats will have to be laid on. 
After the first three or four coats are given 
and thoroughly dry, take some fine glass- 
paper and smooth off the brush marks or 
any gritty particles that may have stuck to 
the varnish. Then give the work another 
coat of varnish, which serve in the same 
manner, and so on for every coat until the 
last, which should be polished with a flannel 
rubber dipped in Tripoli powder and water, 
and finished off with a powder made of suet 
and flour. 

The same precautions must be observed 
with regard to the brushes used in varnish- 
ing as for painting. If put away wet with 
varnish, they will, after remaining unused 
for a day or two, be hard and utterly useless. 
They must, therefore, be well washed im- 
mediately after use, and will then be in 
proper order when again wanted. 

Gold Varnish. — Thoroughly wash and 
cleanse from color one part of gum shellac ; 
when dry pulverize it well, reducing it in a 
mortar to an impalpable powder ; mix with 
it four times its weight of spirits of wine ; 
put the mixture on the fire, and let it re- 
main until the gum is entirely dissolved. 
Strain the liquor, and keep for use in a well- 
corked bottle 



133 



26 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



Black Varnish for Metal, etc. — 
Fuse and thoroughly incorporate asphal- 
tum, ^ lb. ; shellac, 2 oz. ; turpentine, i 
quart. L,ay on with a brush. 

Polishing, and Recipes for Polish. 

Polishing very greatly improves the ap- 
pearance of articles made of any fancy wood 
or stained work. There are many different 
sorts of polish ; but those for which recipes 
are given below will be found to answer the 
amateur's purpose in every way : 

French Polish. — Spirits of wine, i 
pint; gum sandarac, ^ oz. ; gum lac, ^ 
oz. ; gum shellac, ^ oz. Expose the whole 
to a gentle heat, frequently shaking the 
mixture until the gums are dissolved. 

Naphtha Polish. — Wood naphtha, y^, 
pint; orange shellac , i oz. ; dragons' blood, 
% oz. ; benzoin, ^ oz. Prepare in the 
same way as French polish. 

Shellac Polish. — Orange shellac, i^ 
oz. ; spirits of wine, i pint. 

The method of applying these polishes 
is the same for all. A flannel rubber is 
made and dipped in the polish, and a piece 
of fine and old linen is then put over the 
rubber. When the polish oozes through 
the covering, dip the pad into or slightly 
moisten it with linseed oil. Another way is 
to strain the linen over the flannel pad, and 
then to moisten the linen with a drop or two 
of the polish and a drop or two of oil. The 
pad should be held in the right hand, and 
the linen strained tightly, so that the pad 
may present a rounded surface. Apply the 
pad to the surface of the wood in a series of 
light strokes made by a circular sweep of 
the hand until the surface is nearly dry, 
when the pad should be passed up and down 
in the direction of the grain of the wood. 
When the rubber is dry some more polish 
and oil must be put upon it in the same man- 
ner as before, and the rubbing continued. 

Plenty of what is generally called ' ' el- 
bow-grease" should be given to the work, 
and not too much polish. Beginners gen- 
erally lay on a large quantity of polish in 
clots or thick coats, but when this is done 
the polish does not look well, neither has it 
a permanent effect. 

No more polish should be laid on than is 
absolutely necessary. The polish should be 



well rubbed in and finished off with a little 
pure naphtha or spirits of wine, whichever 
happens to be the spirit that is used in the 
polish. The naphtha or spirits of wine, as 
the case may be, should at first be laid on 
very gently and with great care, otherwise 
it will dissolve and remove the polish al- 
ready laid on ; but if proper care is taken 
its effect will be not only to give the polish 
a better gloss, but to render it more lasting. 
Some woods absorb a great deal of polish. 
In order to prevent this absorption, a coat 
of gold size, or something of a like nature, 
is given before the application of the polish. 
When polishing mahogany or other orna- 
mental or colored wood, should there be 
any inequalities or faults in any conspicuous 
part of the object, fill them up with stop- 
ping, consisting of plaster of Paris mixed to 
the consistency of cream with water, tinted 
with staining or coloring matter correspond- 
ing with the color of the article that is to be 
polished. A mixture of putty, consisting of 
finely-pounded whiting and painters' drying 
oil and some coloring matter, will do quite 
as well. For large holes a composition of 
beeswax, resin, and shellac is found very 
useful. 

Paper Hanging. 

Next to painting, the most important 
decorative work that can be done within the 
house is paper-hanging, and a knowledge 
of the mode of doing this will often prove 
of great advantage to the amateur artisan, 
especially if he be a man of slender means. 

Besides the American there are two other 
wallpapers used in paper-hanging, one being 
of English and the other of French manu- 
facture. The French paper-hangings are 
perhaps prettier, more artistic, and produce 
a better effect than American or English- 
made papers, but they are much more 
expensive. They may be distinguished from 
English papers by their narrow width, 
the English papers being 22 inches wide 
and the French and American papers only 
20 inches. Again, a piece of English 
paper is 1 2 yards long, and a piece of French 
paper about 9^ yards, the former covering 
7 square yards, or 63 feet superficial, and 
the latter \Y^ square yards, or 41 square 
feet. Speaking approximately, therefore, 



134 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



21 



where two pieces of English paper are re- 
quired, three of French will be wanted at 
the very least, and in practice this will not 
be found to be enough. 

The American paper is in more common 
use now, and for quality and artistic effect 
equals that of foreign make. It comes in 
rolls oi two pieces each, or i6 yards, a piece 
being considered 8 yards long. The width 
is 20 inches over all or 1 8 inches net A 
piece then will cover 36 square feet of surface. 

On looking at a piece of wall-paper it 
will be found that the pattern does not come 
quite out to the edges, so that it must be re- 
membered, in measuring a room for paper, 
that 18 inches is the absolute net width of 
the pattern (American) ; the actual roll of 
paper itself is wider than this. To measure 
a room, one method is to measure the cir- 
cumference, making allowance for doors and 
windows, and, having ascertained the num- 
ber of feet, multiply this by the height of 
the room and divide by the number of square 
feet in a piece of paper. For the ceiling 
multiply the length of the room by breadth, 
which will give area, and divide as before. 
If a room has offsets these may be measured 
separately . Thus , tak ing the room to be 1 8 ft . 
by 15 ft., and allowing 11 ft. for doors and 
windows, and taking the height of the room 
to be 9 ft., between skirting-board and cor- 
nice we have : 

i8ft. + i8ft. + 15ft. + 15ft. (length of 
4 sides of room) — i ift. (allowance for door 
and windows) X 9ft. (height between ceil- 
ing and skirting) -^36 (No. of square feet 
in piece of paper) . 

Or 66 — II X 9 -^ 36, or 55 X 9 -^ 36 
= 14 pieces, or 13 and a fraction, which 
requires of course 14 full pieces, or 7 rolls, 
for the sides. The ceiling would be 18 X 15 
-=- 36 = 7>^ , or 8 pieces. 

Small Patterns Most Satisfactory. 

The most satisfactory kind of pattern is 
a small geometrical one, consisting of some 
simple form, a leaf or flower, convention- 
ally treated. For staircases, passages, etc., 
papers in imitation of wood or marble are 
most commonly used, and these can be pre- 
served from much casual injury by varnish- 
ing. Marble papers are usually hung in 
Jarge blocks, the lines of demarcation, hori- 



zontal and vertical , being traced , with the aid 
of a straight edge, iu black or brown. For 
sitting-rooms satin papers, or papers with a 
glossy surface, are generally used. Papers 
in which gold is introduced are expensive 
if they are worth anything at all. In cheap 
gilt papers, the gold, which is most likely 
Dutch metal, soon tarnishes and changes as 
time goes on from a dull copper- red to 
black. It is good taste to have the ceiling 
paper light in color and with a subdued 
figure to harmonize with the sides. 

Preliminary Work for Paper Hanging. 

If the wall be new it will require sizing 
before the paper is put on, though this is by 
no means done as a rule. If the wall has 
to be re-papered, it must be stripped of the 
old paper, or should be stripped, as new 
papers are too frequently hung upon old 
papers ; a procedure which is certainly not 
cleanly, and is in many cases prejudicial to 
health, because the dampness caused by 
putting up the new paper often detaches the 
old paper from the surface of the wall, and 
oftentimes, if the paste used in hanging the 
old paper has been bad, a fungus is gener- 
ated, which spreads over the wall in dark 
patches of a brown or greenish color. 

In re-papering a room after any one 
stricken down with some infectious dis- 
order, such as scarlet or typhus fever, on no 
account should the old paper be left on the 
walls, but it should be carefully stripped 
and the walls washed, and the ceiling coated 
with limewash, after the old coating has 
been taken off with clean water. As soon 
as this is done, the walls may be sized anc' 
the process of re-papering maybe proceed e*^ 
with. 

Size is a kind of weak glue, made from 
the clippings of parchment, glove-leather, 
fish-skin, and similar substances, by boiling 
them down in water. When cold it resem- 
bles jelly. It is sold by all oil and color 
dealers. 

The wall being sized, it is necessary to 
determine what tools are absolutely neces- 
sary for the paper-hanger's work. These 
may be summed up as a pair of boards con- 
nected by hinges, or, if preferred, simply 
grooved and tongued together, or even 
joined by dowels or pins. The amateur 



135 



22 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



need not provide himself with a pair of 
boards and trestles merely for the sake of 
papering a single room ; a kitchen table, 
if long enough, or even a dining table suit- 
ably protected, will answer every purpose. 
The boards are portable, and, therefore, 
useful to the regular paper-hanger, who 
may not find any suitable table at the house 
to which he is going. They are also of 
greater length than most tables, which is 
obviously an advantage. Whether the ama- 
teur is provided with boards or not, he must 
of necessity have a pair of good-sized 
scissors ; a pail to hold his paste, whether 
of wood or iron it matters not, so long as it 
is clean ; and a paste brush, something 
similar to that used for whitewashing, but 
smaller. 

Paste for Paper Hanging. 

Good paste for paper-hanging is made 
of old flour, mixed to a milk-like consis- 
tency with water. When put in the sauce- 
pan to boil, a little size or glue may be 
added, which will increase its tenacity. A 
little alum may also be added to paste, in 
order to cause it to spread more freely ; 
this ingredient has the property of keeping 
paste sweet and wholesome, and it is gener- 
ally used in the thicker kinds of paste, such 
as shoemakers' paste, partly for this pur- 
pose. The paste when boiled should be of 
the thickness of ordinary gruel, and must 
be laid on the paper smoothly and equally 
with backward and forward strokes of the 
brush. Care should be taken not to load 
the brush with too much paste at one time, 
lest the paper should be rendered too damp. 
It will sometimes happen that through an 
over-abundance of paste a little is pressed 
out at the edges when the cloth is used to 
dab the paper against the wall. Any paste 
that makes its appearance should be re- 
moved by means of a sponge dipped in 
clean water, but the amateur must be care- 
ful to avoid smearing the colors of the pa- 
per. The colors will often be started in a 
slight degree by the influence of the damp 
paste, and if the surface be smeared the 
only thing that can.be done is to paste a 
piece of fresh paper over the smear, which, 
if left as it is, will prove a continual eye- 
sore. 



136 



Where to Begin to Hang Paper. 

Where to make a commencement in 
hanging a room with paper will be a bit of 
a puzzle to the amateur paper-hanger. The 
rule is that the edges of the paper when 
hung shall be towards the window ; that is 
to say, that if there be a window in the 
room the paper must be hung Irom either 
side of the window round the room, the 
junction being finally effected in some cor- 
ner of the room or some recess, where the 
mismatching of the pattern would not be 
so apparent. 

When it has been ascertained by actual 
measurement how much paper is required 
for hanging on each side of the commence- 
ment, wherever it may be, whether on each 
side of the window or from the middle line 
over a mantel-shelf, proceed to cut the pa- 
per. The usual way is to unroll the paper 
for a yard or two, cut the edge on one side, 
roll up the paper just cut, lightly and 
loosely, and continue unrolling, cutting, 
and rolling up by a 5 ard or two at a time 
till the other end of the roll is reached. 
Some will then cut the other edge, proceed- 
ing in the same way until the paper is rolled 
as it was before the cutting commenced, 
having the topmost piece at the outer end. 
It is important to remember that whichever 
side is cut close to the pattern, the opposite 
side must not be cut closer than from ^ in. 
to Yz in. of the pattern. The edge that is 
not cut close need not, in point of fact, be 
cut at all ; tlie chief object in cutting it is 
to leave as small an extent of overlapping 
as possible where the strips are joined to- 
gether. The best paper-hangers, who can 
set the paper to a line, trim close on. both 
sides and do not overlap, but set to the edge. 

Cutting Paper into Lengths. 

When the edges are cut the next step is 
to cut the paper into lengths suitable to the 
height of the room, and this, whether the 
overplus at top and bottom be much or 
little, must be done in such a manner that 
when the second strip is pasted up by the 
side of the first the pattern will join neatly 
and exactly, leaving as few traces as possi- 
ble, if it leave any, of the line of junction. 
The ' ' match ' ' is shown by certain marks 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



22> 



on the edge of the paper, and if it be found 
that a considerable length of paper be left 
either at top or bottom, or at both, it will be 
better and more convenient for the amateur 
in carrying out the operation of hanging 
each slip to cut off the surplus paper, leav- 
ing no more than an inch or two at top and 
bottom beyond the length between skirting 
and cornice. Cut the paper straight across, 
which can be easily done by aid of the pat- 
tern, and cut as many lengths as will sufl&ce 
for one or two sides of the room to begin 
with. lyay the lengths thus cut face down- 
wards on the pasting-board, letting the edge 
of each strip as it is laid down project a 
little beyond the edge of that which is im- 
mediately below it, in which the uppermost 
strip is the last strip laid down. This pre- 
vents the paste from getting under the edges 
of the piece below when the piece above is 
being pasted. 

Attaching to the Wall. 

As many strips as may be required hav- 
ing been laid one on top of another on the 
board, the first strip may be pasted, but a 
little judgment must be used as to the time 
that may be allowed to elapse before the 
paper is attached to the wall. If the paper 
be cheap, and therefore thin and unsubstan- 
tial, it must be hung up as quickly as possi- 
ble after the paste is put on ; but if it be a 
stout, good paper, some two or three min- 
utes may elapse between pasting and hang- 
ing ; and a thick paper may be left even 
twice as long, to allow the damp to pene- 
trate the paper and render it more easy of 
manipulation and less liable to be crushed 
or broken. For easier manipulation it is 
better to loop up the lower end of the paper, 
the paste causing the paper to adhere 
slightly where one part comes in contact 
with another. Then fold back the top, and 
putting the hands, which should be perfectly 
clean and free from paste, under this fold, 
attach the paper to the wall, bringing the 
top upwards with the hands to meet the 
cornice. Care should be taken beforehand 
to make a guide line on the wall, or to see 
that the woodwork round the window is 
perfectly upright, and this will assist the 
amateur in fixing the first strip truly per- 
pendicular. After attaching it lightly to 



the wall, the plumb-line may be applied to 
see that all is true and vertical, and if all is 
right release the fold, and, after letting the 
paper hang straight down, lift it away from 
the wall, except for about six or eight inches 
below the cornice, and then let the strip 
fall, when it will gently float down into its 
place. 

The next step is to press the paper 
against the surface of the wall in every part, 
and for this purpose the amateur must be 
provided with some clean soft cloths. First 
of all, the paper must be pressed down the 
middle from top to bottom with firm but 
gentle pressure, avoiding all rubbing, which 
may have the effect of starting the color and 
smearing and spoiling the paper. Then 
press from the centre outwards on both 
sides in a downward direction. The paper 
in some cases will lay smooth and flat 
against the wall , but if the paper be cheap 
and thin there will in all probability be 
many wrinkles all over the surface. Do 
not attempt to press these flat. The paper 
has stretched under the influence of the 
moisture of the paste, and as it dries it will 
contract again and lay as flat as possible 
all over the wall to which it is attached, 
lyastly, draw the scissors over the paper just 
below the cornice and just above the skirt- 
ing-board, making a crease. Then pull the 
paper gently from the wall as far as may be 
necessary, cutting off" the edges along the 
mark or crease made by the scissors, and 
restore the ends to their places, dabbing 
them lightly as before with the cloth, which 
should be so doubled up as to form a ^arge, 
loose pad. 

The second strip may now be put up in 
the same way. Here, however, the chief 
anxiety will be to match the pattern neatly, 
for if the first strip be put up perpendicu- 
larly the other strips will be perpendicular 
as a matter of course. Nevertheless it will 
be as well for the amateur to test his work 
occasionally by the plumb-line, to make sure 
that it is not getting out of the perpendicular. 

It may be that the amateur will not be 
successful in his first effort, and then all 
that can be done is to sacrifice the strip of 
paper, pull it down, and try again. As in 
everything else, practice is necessary to en- 
able a man to do this work well and quickly. 



37 



24 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



It will be advisable, then, for any beginner 
to try his 'prentice hand in an attic or some 
small room of no great consequence, in 
order to give him some idea of the way in 
which paper must be handled and attached 
to the wall. He will soon gain confidence 
in himself, and find no great difficulty in 
oapering other rooms where it will be abso- 
utely necessary that the work be neatly and 
accurately done. 

Borders should be neat in design, and 
match the paper in this respect and in color, 
or if the colors do not harmonize they should 
be in agreeable contrast, A cable pattern 



generally looks well, or the Grecian rec- 
tangular pattern, known as the Greek key 
pattern. The representation of a simple 
molding is often very efiective, and when 
the paper is plain in character and geometri- 
cal in pattern a floral border is admissible. 
It must be remembered, however, that a 
border, however good it may be, tends to 
detract from the apparent height of the 
room, and therefore is not so well calculated 
for a low room as for a high room, to which 
the horizontal lines of the border impart an 
appearance of breadth and space. 



BELLS AND TELEPHONES 



The electric bell constitutes one of the 
most simple pieces of apparatus for signal- 
ing by electricity, and although more than 
half a century has elapsed since it was first 
introduced, no better method of signaling 
or giving a call has yet been invented for 
land lines. It is always used for attracting 
attention in telephonic communication and 
Very often also in telegraphy. 

To Wire for and to Connect Electric Bells. 

It is easy to understand that an electric 
bell equipment usually consists of one elec- 
tric bell, one cell of battery, one push-button, 
and wire enough to connect the outfit for a 
reasonable distance. 

The push-button is, of course, set at the 
place from which the signal is to be given, 
and, when connected, the pressing of the but- 
ton should ring the bell. The bell should 
continue ringing as long as the button is 
pressed. The bell should be placed where 
the persons who are expected to answer it 
[when it rings] are likely to be, so it can be 
heard by them. The battery, the motive 
power, is placed at some convenient place, 
the closer the battery is placed to the push- 
button, the better for some work. 

The wire is used to make the connection 
to the bell, battery, and push-button. The 
proper way to connect an electric bell outfit 
is to run one wire from the push-button to 
the battery, one wire from the push-button 
to the bell, and one wire from the bell to 
the battery. This gives two wire ends at 
each place, namely, bell battery, and push- 



button. The bell, battery, and push-button 
each have two places where the wires are 
connected. To all places to which wires 
are connected the insulation covering of the 
wires must be removed, and the wire made 
clean and bright. Then connect it with the 
connecting places of the push-button, bell, 
and battery. This way of connecting an 
electric bell outfit is called a metallic cir- 
cuit. 

A Grounded Circuit. 

On long distances wire can be saved by 
using a grounded circuit, which is done as 
follows : Drive a piece of iron into the earth, 
from four to five feet down, connect a wire 
to the iron driven into the ground by wrap- 
ping the bare wire tightly around the iron. 
This ground wire is then run to the battery 
and connected to the zinc side. A second 
wire is run from the carbon side of the bat- 
tery to one side of the push-button ; a second 
wire runs from the push-button to wherever 
the bell is placed ; a wire is run from the 
bell to a second ground iron, and attached 
or connected to the ground iron, the same 
as the first ground connection was made. 
Where long distances are to be connected, 
namely, from house to stable, factory or any 
other building, this way of doing electric 
bell work is frequently done. All wires 
that are outside of buildings should be fas- 
tened on to porcelain or glass insulators, 
and never be nailed against brick or stone 
walls, or any frame buildings ; always use 
f insulators, and have wires clear of all places. 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



25 



It is recommended for electric bell work 
that no lighter wire than what is known in 
the trade as No. 16 be used, and that the 
wire have a good insulation or covering. 

Making Connections. 

Jn all ordinary electric bell work, if 
reasonable care is taken, no connections or 
splices are necessary in the wire. Should it 
be necessary to make a connection of two 
ends of wire, make a good one and solder 
it ; do not neglect doing this (soldering con- 
nections) in case you cannot solder the con- 
nections, wrap them with tin foil, or some 
tissue paper, and on top of this use some 
insulating tape, making a good covering 
over the wire again. Do not, however, use 
insulating tape right on a wire connection, 
as the place gets corroded, and is an injury 
to good work. 

When it is desired electric bell work can 
be so arranged so one, two or more bells can 
be rung from one or as many more places as 
desired. This is all simple work, and can 
be easily understood by making electric bell 
circuit diagrams, to show similar points on 
same line. 

The wire for push-buttons must be al- 
ways connected in multiple, with the wire 
attached to the first push-button. This is 
easily done by making half connections . The 
push-button end of wires must always be 
so connected in open circuit bell work. 

The bells when so connected that two or 
more ring simultaneously, should be also 
connected in multiple. 

The Working of tlie Bell. 

The electric bell consists essentially of 
an electro-magnet and a vibrating armature 
piece which oscillates in front of it. If a 
current enters the terminal A it is conducted 
through the coils D D of the electro-mag- 
net, which has iron cores, and passes out 
through the metal of the armature, the con- 
tact screw, g, and the terminal B. Such a 
current will, of course, cause the electro- 
magnet to draw the armature down on to 
its terminal^, the armature itself being at- 
tached by a flexible steel spring to the 
framework, so as to make this movement 
possible. In the act, however, of drawing 
down the armature, the contact of the screw 




139 



g, and a prolongation of the armature 
spring, is broken, and as this contact forms 
part of the electric circuit, the current 
ceases to magnetize the electro -magnet ; the 
armature is, therefore, no longer attracted 
and springs back by virtue of the steel 
spring, and contact between it and the screw, 
g, is restored, which causes the same opera- 
tion to be repeated. This motion takes 
place very rapidly to 
and fro, and is com- 
municated to a light 
hammer, d, which 
strikes the bell, b, and 
produces a continu- 
ous and loud ringing 
sound. The whole 
apparatus forms a sim- 
ple method of draw- 
ing attention from 
a distance, and can 
always be relied upon 
to work properly. 

The only draw- 
back to the bell is that 
if the screw, g, is set 
so as to make it as 
sensitive as possible, a vibration of the sup- 
port to which the whole apparatus is fixed, 
due to a passing train or vehicle, might be 
suf&cient to cause the hammer to strike 
the gong. In railway signal-boxes, where 
electric bells are much used, it is absolutely 
necessary that this should not happen, as it 
might lead to a serious catastrophe. The 
bells in this case are, therefore, so arranged 
that on closing the electric circuit the bell- 
hammer only strikes the gong once, and 
only when the circuit is broken again out- 
side the bell does it spring back so as to be 
ready for a second signal. 

Alternating Currents. 

Such vibrating electric bells will work 
with both direct and alternating currents, 
but not nearly so well with the latter. As, 
however, it is very often found desirable to 
use alternating currents, a special polarized 
bell has been devised for use with them, in 
which the armature, the amplitude of whose 
movement is regulated by screws, vibrates 
in a vertical plane between two poles of an 
electro-magnet, bent round at right angles. 



-Electric Bell. 



26 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



No make-and-break mechanism is nec- 
essary as in ordinary bells, because the al- 
ternating current is continuously reversing 
the sign of the poles of the electro-magnet, 
causing the armature and bell- hammer to 
vibrate, by alternate attraction and repul- 
sion. It is usual in these bells to intensify 
the sound by using two domes, making use 
of the return stroke of the hammer. 

The current is produced by a small mag- 
neto dynamo worked by hand. 
This method of dispensing with 
primary batteries is due to Sie- 
mens, and has the advantage 
that a high E.M.F. (Electric 
Motive Force) can be gener- Jrdcropkc 
ated at no expense, the power _. 
being supplied by the operator jjihiljil' 
himself. li 



The first practical telephone was invented 
by Graham Bell, and patented by him in 
1877 ; it was also invented independently 
about the same time by Elisha Gray. The 
principle of this telephone is based on the 
laws of electro- magnetic induction. 

A complete apparatus for telephonic com- 
munication consists : at the transmitting 
station, of a microphone, battery, and 
induction coil, and a bell-push which rings 



"cpj 



Cautions to be Observed. 

To sum up, then, let us say 
that in putting up electric bells, 
telephones, etc., there are sev- 
eral points which must be carefully attended 
to, if satisfactory working is desired ; the con- 
ducting wires must be as well insulated as 
possible. Mere touching contacts should be 
avoided unless absolutely necessary. If pos- 
sible contacts or joints should be soldered so 
as to make a good metallic connection. If 
any connections are made by terminals or 
binding screws, they must be carefully 
cleaned and seen to from time to time ; this 
remark applies especially to the battery 
terminals, which are more likely to become 
corroded by the electrolyte. The general ar- 
rangement of the wires should be first map- 
ped out on paper, and this plan carefully 
adhered to in putting them up, otherwise 
confusion and trouble will arise. 

Putting up Telephones. 

There are two very distinct methods of 
transmuting the voice possible in telephonic 
systems : electro magnetic transmitters for 
use without batteries, and transmitters on 
the micrf)y)hone principle requiring some 
external source of current. The instru- 
ments for receiving the voice are called 
receivers, and are always based on the prin- 
ciple of the electro-magnetic transmitter. 




receiver 



battery 

Apparatus for the Transmission of Sound by Electricity. 

a bell at the receiving station to draw 
attention ; at the receiving end, of Bell tele- 
phone receiver and the call-bell. 

Line Wires. 

In towns, each person having a telephone 
is connected to an excnange, and by which 
he can be connected at will to any other per- 
son also connected to the exchange. 

The line wires, connecting the trans- 
mitting and receiving stations, consist ol 
two copper conductors of high conductivity 
and great tensile strength. It is found that 
alloys of copper and silicon, or copper and 
aluminium, are best for this purpose. The 
wires have a resistance of about 80 ohmo per 
mile, and their breaking tension is about 150 
lbs. With wire weighing about 19 lbs. per 
mile, spa ,is of 100 to 150 yards are possible. 
The wires, if overhead, are supported on 
porcelain insulators, which are attached at a 
convenient height from the ground to posts 
or houses ; in the country trees often come in 
handy for the purpose. In cities the best 
method is to lay them underground, where 
they are safe from the effects of fire or 
weather ; this, however, is rarely done, as 
overhead wires are so very much cheaper. 



140 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



27 



If a telephone line does not run any- 
where near any other telephone, telegraph, 
or electric circuit, the return wire may be re- 
placed with economy by the earth. In this 
case very careful connection must be made 
with the earth at each end. A good plan is 
to solder the connecting wire to a water 
pipe, but if this is not available, it must be 
connected to a large metallic plate of copper 
buried deeply in damp earth, which it is as 
well to water from time to time. It is best 
to avoid this earth return for telephones if 
possible, as it is very seldom satisfactory. 

In fixing up the telephone apparatus it 
should never be attached to thin partitions 
which are capable of vibration, but should 
be screwed to a solid wall, and even then it 
is as well to place a couple of layers of felt 
between the instrument and the wall. 

Number of Bells Required. 

A couple of cells of almost any make 
such as Daniells or Le Clanche are quite 
enough for working a short telephone line, 
and for longer distances three or four at the 
outside are sufficient, for, an excess of electro- 
motor force produces a crackling sound in the 
receivers, which may be loud enough to seri- 
ously inconvenience conversation. For elec- 
tric bells the number of cells required de- 
pends upon the length of the line and the 
resistance of the bells used, and the right 
number is usually found by experiment. 

If a telephonic line is to be established 
near a telegraph line, it becomes necessary 
to use a metallic wire for the return, because 
the effects of induction, due to the making 
and breaking of the telegraph current, when 
an earth return is used by both circuits, be- 
comes sometimes great enough to spoil all 
telephonic communication. 

As a matter of fact it is very seldom that 
an earth return can be used for telephone 
lines, for the circuit is then always liable to 
external disturbances, such as leaks from 
electric light and power circuits, telegraph 
currents, earth currents, etc. Even with twin 
wires the greatest attention must be paid to 
good insulation of the line, otherwise the 
above-mentioned disturbances may make 
their influence felt. When all such stray 
currents have been eliminated from the sys- 
tem ^ the length of a telephone line may be 



greatly increased ; conversation has been 
carried on quite distinctly at distances of 
800 and 900 miles. 

Operating a Telephone. 

The manipulation of a telephone instru- 
ment is quite simple. In nearly every type 
of instrument the receivers are hung on a 
hook which is pivoted on an axis. This 
movable hook has a spring attached to it so 
that, when the receiver is hung on it, the 
hook falls and distends the spring. If the 
receiver is unhooked the spring is released 
and the hook is drawn up. It is really a 
switch, and the up-and-down movement 
causes the proper connections of line and 
bell, and line and telephone to be made. 
To enter into communication with another 
person through the exchange, the handle of 
the magneto-generator is turned, or a button 
is pressed. The exchange answer the sig- 
nal by ringing the subscriber's bell. The 
receiver is then unhooked and placed to the 
ear, and the mouth is placed opposite the 
microphone. The attendant at the exchange 
asks what number is required, which being 
given the proper connection is made there, 
and the two persons are now in direct com- 
munication. When the conversation is fin- 
ished , the bell is again rung to signify the 
fact, and the attendant at the exchange dis- 
connects them. 

Batteries. 

Batteries are connected by attaching the 
carbon side of one cell to the zinc side of the 
next ; follow this for any number and there 
will always remain one carbon pole and one 
zinc pole to which line wires may be con- 
nected. Batteries should be examined occa- 
sionally and cleaned. Do not use more 
salamoniac than will readily dissolve and 
have a small amount in bottom of cell 
Place the batteries so they may not be ex 
posed to draughts or heat. Use soft rain- 
water in the solution. Six ounces of sala- 
moniac to a jar is enough. When the bat- 
teries appear to be doing too much work or 
become weak, examine all connections ; 
look for leaks where wires cross or touch. 
Test each battery separately by connecting 
it with the two poles of a bell used for that 
purpose, 



141 



38 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



The practical mechanic — the amateur 
workman — the busy man of affairs — the 
housekeeper — the farmer, have occasions for 
useful information about the common mater- 
ials used in building and repairing and for 
the tables and measurements used in the 
different trades and business pursuits, which 
are seldom found outside of books treating 



of special trades. These facts and figures 
also enable one to deal intelligently with the 
mechanic and tradesman. They are time- 
savers^ and hence 2iX& money- makers. Such 
information is only secured after long and 
diligent search and comparison of adthori 
ties. We give many of the important 
ones. 



FACTS AND FIGURES FOR EVERY DAY USE 



Shingles. 

The best shingles are of white cedar. 
When of good quality, they will last 40 to 
50 years in our Northern States. Cypress 
and white pine are much used for shingles, 
but will not last half as long as white cedar. 

Shingles are packed 250 to the bundle, 
or 4 bundles to i ,000. 

I Bundle 16-inch shingles will cover 30 
square feet. 

I Bundle 18- inch shingles will cover 33 
square feet. 

When laid 5 >^ inches to the weather , 5 lbs . 
4° or 3^ lbs. 3° nails will lay i ,000 shingles. 

Clap- Boards. 

I Bundle laid 3}^ inches to the weather 
will cover 26 square feet. 

Painting. 

For outside wood work, paint made from 
white lead ground in linseed oil is most 
used. If the oil is 7'aw, or unboiled, d?yer 
is added ; if boiled, no dryer is necessary. 
Not less than four coats should be applied — 
five are better. 

Paint, ready mixed, put up in cans or 
kegs, may be procured from manufacturers 
or dealers. These paints have to be thinned 
by adding i pint of oil to about 2)4 lbs. of 
paint. When thinned, i lb. will cover 
about 2 square yards of first-coat, 3 yards 
of second, and 4 yards of each subsequent 
coat ; or i^ lbs. to the square yard will be 
required for 4 coats, and i^^ lbs. for 5 coats. 

For inside ivork, either white lead or 
oxide of zinc is used, and for good work 4 
coats are necessary. 

For iron exposed to the zveather, metallic 
paints, such as yellow and red iron ochres 
or brown hematite ore, finely pulverized 
and mixed with oil or dryer, are best. 



For iron subject to the action of water, red 
lead is best. 

Plastered walls should stand a year 
before painting. 

Painting is measured by the square yard, 
girding every part of the work that is 
covered by paint and allowing an addition 
to the actual surface for the difficulty of 
covering deep quirk of moldings and for 
" cutting in " as in sash and shelving, or 
where there is a change of color, on same 
work. 

Painter's Putty. 

Spanish whiting, 1 Made into a stiff paste. 

pulverized, 80.6 1 If not intended for im- 

Boiled oil, 20.4 | mediate use, raw oil 

J should be used. 

One pound of putty for stopping every 

20 yards. 

Glazier's Putty. 

Whiting, 70 lbs. ; boiled oil, 30 lbs. ; 
water, 2 ' galls. Mix. If too thin, add 
more whiting ; if too thick, add more oil. 

To Soften Putty. 

To remove old putty from broken win- 
dows, dip a small brush in nitro-muriatic 
acid or caustic soda (concentrated lye), and 
with it anoint or paint over the dry puttj' 
that adheres to the broken glass and frames 
of your windows ; after an hour's interval 
the putty will have become so soft as to be 
easily removable. 

White and Other Washes. 

For outside wood-work. In a tight 
bushel, slake half a bushel of fresh lime 
by pouring over it boiling water sufficient 
to cover it 4 or 5 inches deep, stir until 
slaked : add 2 lbs. of sulphate of zinc dis- 
solved in water, add water enough to bring 
all to the consistency of thick whitewash. 
42 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



29 



For inside work. Add 2 quarts of thin 
size to a pailful of wash just before using. 
The common practice of mixing salt with 
whitewash should not be permitted. 

For brick or sto7ie-work. Slake ^ bushel 
3f lime, as before, in a barrel ; then fill the 
barrel Yi full of water and add a bushel of 
hydraulic cement ; add 3 lbs. sulphate of 
zinc dissolved in water. These washes 
may be colored by adding powdered ochre, 
umber, etc. 

Stone-Work. 

A perch of stone work is i rod long, 
ij^ feet thick and i foot high, and con- 
tains 24^ cubic feet. 

A cord of stone, like a cord of wood, 
contains 128 cubic feet, a-d will make a 
100 cubic feet of wall. Three bushels of 
lime and a cubic yard of sand are usually 
estimated for a cord of stone . 

Stone walls are measured by the percai 
(24^ cubic feet). Openings less than 3 feet 
wide are counted solid ; over 3 feet deduc- 
ted, but 18 inches are added to the running 
measure for each jamb built. Arches are 
counted solid from their spring. Corners 
of buildings are measured twice. Pillars 
less than 3 feet are counted on 3 sides as 
lineal, multiplied by fourth side and 
depth. 

It is customary to measure all founda- 
tion and dimension stone by the cubic foot. 
Water tables and base courses by lineal feet. 
All sills and lintels or ashlar, by superficial 
feet, and no wall less than 18 inches thick. 

The greatest safe load per super. f<iOt on 

Granite Piers 40 tons. 

Lime stone Piers 25 

Sand stone Piers 15 

Brickwork in Cement 3 

Rubble Masonry 2 

Lime Concrete Foundations . . i) 

The height of brick or stone piers should not 
sxceed 12 times their least thickness at base. 

Concrete Walls. 

Concrete walls for houses are built of i 
of cement to 6 or 7 of broken stone, shingle, 
gravel, or slag. The substance mixed with 
the cement must be free from loam, fine 
sand, clay, or dirt of any kind. 

To prevent the cement from ac^hering 

to the planks of the mould, apply freely to 

J4 ' 



them, with a brush, soap boiled to the con- 
stancy of paint. 

Plastering. 

Estimate of material for 100 square yards. 



Materials 



Quicklime 

' ' for fine stuff . 
Plaster oi Paris .... 

Laths 

Hair 

Common Sand . . . . 

White Sand 

Nails 

Mason's labor 

Laborer 



Two coats 

slipped 
coat finish 



y/i casks 



2,000 

3 bushels 
6 loads 

13 lbs. 
ZYz days 



Three coats 

with 
hard finish 



4 casks 



2,000 
4 bushels 
7 loads 
2>^ bushels 
13 lbs. 
4 days 
3 " 



Plastering laths are usually of white or yellow 
pine, i^ inches wide, % inch thick, and 3 or 4 
feet long. They are nailed up horizontally, about 
Yz inch apart. The upright stud of partitions are 
spaced at such distances apart, (usually about 15 
inches centre to centre), that the ends of the 
laths may be nailed to them. Laths are sold in 
bundles of 1,000 each. A square foot of surface re- 
quires ^Yz four-feet laths, or 1,000 such laths will 
cover 666 square feet. A carpenter can nail up the 
laths for from 40 to 60 square yards of plastering in 
a day of ten hours, depending on the number of 
angles in the room, etc. 

Plastering is always measured by the square 
yard for plain work, by the superficial foot for 
cornices of plain members, and by lineal foot for 
enriched or carved mouldings in cornices. 

Brick-Work. 

Brick-work is generally measured by 
1,000 bricks laid in the wall. In conse- 
quence of variations in size of bricks, no 
rule for volume of laid brick can be exact. 
The following scale is given as a fair aver- 
age for general use. 

Bricks to a super, foot 



7 
14 
21 
28 
35 



\'' Wall= 40 lbs. 
9^/ " = 94 " 
jy/ «< _j2i «' 

18^' " =168 " 
22^/ «» ^210 " 



Corners are not measured twice as in stone- 
work. Openings over 2 feet square are deducted. 
Arches are counted from the spring. Fancy work 
counted i>^ bricks for i. Pillars are measured on 
their face only. 

A cubic yard of mortar requires i cubic yard of 
sand and 9 bushels of lime, and will fill 50 hods. 

One thousand bricks, closely stacked, occupy 
about 56 cubic feet. 

One thousand old bricks, cleaned and loosely 
stacked, occupy about 72 cubic feet. 

One superficial foot of gauged arches requires 
10 bricks. 
43 



30 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



Stock bricks commonly measure 824^ inches by 
4^ inches by 2)^ inches, and weigh from 5 to 6 
lbs. each. 

Paving-bricks should measure 9 inches by 4j^ 
inches by i^^f inches, and weigh about 4^ lbs. 
each. 

One yard of paving requires 36 stock bricks, 
of above dimensions, laid flat, or 52 on edge ; and 
35 paving bricks laid flat, or 82 on edge. 

Slating. 

A square of slate or slating is 100 super- 
ficial feet. 

In measuring, the width of the eaves is 
allowed at the widest part. Hips, valleys, 
and cutting are to be measured lineal, and 
6 inches width extra is allowed. 

The thickness of slates ranges from 3-16 
to 5-16 of a inch, and their weight varies 
from 2.6 to 4.5 lbs. per square foot. 

The lap of slates varies from 2 to 4 
inches. The standard is assumed to be 3 
inches. 

To compute the nutnber of slates of a given 
size required per squares. 

Subtract 3 inches from the length of the 
slate, multiply the remainder by the width 
and divide by 2. Divide 14.400 by the 
number so found, and the result will be the 
number of slates required. 

The pitch of a slate roof should not be 
less than i in. height to 4 in. length. 

Dimensions of slates. and numbers re- 
quired to a square. 12x6 requires 533 to 
the square ; 14x9 requires 291 ; 18x9 re- 
quires 213; 24x13 requires 105. 

Rules for Obtaining Approximate 
Weight of Iron. 

For Round Bars. 
Rule : Multiply the square of the diameter in 
inches by the length in feet, and that product by 
2.6. The product will be the weight in pounds, 
nearly. 

For Square and Flat Bars. 
Rule : Multiply the area of the end of the bar 
in inches by the length in feet, and that by 3. 32. 
The product will be the weight in pounds, nearly. 

Wrought Iron, usually assumed : 
A cubic foot =r48o lbs. 

A square foot, i inch thick =40 " 

A bar i in. square, i foot long = 3>^" 
A " " " I yard long = 10 " 

To fiiid the weight of Cast- Iron Balls when 

the diameter is given. 

Rule: Multiply the cube of the diameter by 

•1377- 



To find the diameter of Cast- Iron Balls ivhen 
the weight is given. 

Rule : Multiply the cube root of the weight 
by 1.936. 

To find the weight of a Spherical Shell. 

From the weight of a ball of the outer di- 
ameter subtract the weight of the inner diameters. 

To Test Quality of Iron. 

If fracture gives long silky fibres of 
leaden-gray hue, fibres cohering and twist- 
ing together before breaking, may be con- 
sidered a tough, soft iron. A medium even 
grain mixed with fibres, a good sign. A 
short, blackish fibre indicates badly-refined 
iron. A very fine grain denotes a hard, 
steely ij'on, apt to be cold, short, hard to 
work with the file. Coarse grain with 
brilliant crystallized fracture, yellow or 
brown spots, denotes a brittle iro7i, cold, 
short, working easily when heated ; welds 
easily. Cracks on the edge of bars, sign of 
hot, short iron. Good iron is readily 
heated, soft under the hammer, and throws 
out but few sparks. 

All iron contains more or less carbon — 
the hardest the most. 

The breaking strain on various metals 
is shown in the following table, the size of 
the rod tested being in each case one inch 
square, and the number of pounds the actual 
breaking strain : 

Pounds. 

Hard steel, 150,000 

Soft steel, 120,000 

Best Swedish iron, 84,000 

Ordinary bar iron, 70,000 

Silver, 41,000 

Copper, 35.000 

Gold, 22,000 

Tin, 5.500 

Zinc, 2,600 

Lead, 860 

Average Weight of Animals. 

Cart-horse, 14 cwt. Riding-horse, 11 cwt. 

Ox, 7 to 8 " Pig, I to i>^ " 

Cow, 6>^ to 8 " Sheep, i 

Average weight of a man, 140 lbs. 

A dense crowd of people, 85 lbs. pel 
square foot. 
44 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



31 



Average Number of Cubic Feet Per Ton of 

Various Substances for Estimating 

Work or Stowage. 

Iron 4.7 

Ivcad 3.2 

Brick 22 

Clay 22 

Sand 24 

Earth, loose 28 

Granite 16 

Oak 39.5 



Ash 45 

Cedai 72 

Mahogany, sp 45 

Deal 50 

Pine, red 55 

" yellow 77 

Water, fresh 36 

salt '. . . . 35 

Coke 90 

Coal (stowed) 48 

Wood (equivalent) requires 288 



WORKSHOP RECIPES 



A Home=Made Lubricator. — Tallow and 
plumbago thoroughly mixed make the best lubri- 
cator for surfaces when one is wood or when both 
are wood. Oil is not so good as tallow to mix with 
plumbago for the lubrication of wooden surfaces, 
because oil penetrates and saturates the wood to a 
greater degree than tallow, causing it to swell more. 

To Protect Metal Surfaces From Rusting. 
— Melt I oz. of resin in a gill of linseed oil, and 
while hot mix with it two quarts of kerosene oil. 
This can be kept ready to apply at any time with a 
brush or rag to any tools or implements required 
to lay by for a time, preventing any rust, and sav- 
ing much vexation when the tool is to be used 
again. 

Qlue to Resist Moisture. — i lb. cf glue 
melted in 2 quarts skim-milk. 

Marine Qlue. — i part of India-rubber, 12 parts 
of mineral naphtha or coal-tar. Heat gently, mix, 
and add 20 parts of powdered shellac. Pour out on 
a slab to cool. When used, to be heated to about 
250°. 

Glue Cement to Resist Moisture. — i part 
glue, I part black rosin, ^ part red ochre. Mixed 
with least possible quantity of water. Or 4 parts of 
glue, or I part oxide of iron, i part of boiled oil 
(by weight). 

To Remove Rust From Steel. — Steel which 
has been rusted can be cleaned by brushing with a 
paste compound of ^ oz. cyanide potassium, y^ oz. 
castile soap, i oz. whiting, and water sufficient to 
form a paste. The steel should be washed with a 
solution of Yz oz. cyanide potassium in 2 oz. water. 

To Preserve Steel From Rust. — i part 
caoutchouc, 16 parts turpentine. Dissolve with a 
gentle heat, then add 8 parts boiled oil. Mix by 
bringing them to the heat of boiling water ; apply 
to the steel with a brush, in the way of varnish. It 
may be removed with turpentine. 

To Clean Brass. — i part Roche alum and 16 
parts water. Mix. The articles to be cleaned must 
be made warm, then rubbed with the above mix- 
ture, and finished with fine tripoli. 

Blue Print Solution for Photographer.— i 
pint citrate of iron ammonia, 2 pints red prussiate 
of potash, I pint gum arable, 3 pints water. 

Do.— i^ oz. red prussiate of potash in 11 oz. 
water, i^ oz. citrate of ammonia in 5 oz. water. 
Mix together and keep in dark place. Corrections 
can be made with a pen dipped in a solution of 

I 



caustic soda. Also by bi-carbonate of soda. Also 
by a solution of lime. 

Tinning Acid for Zinc or Brass.— Zinc, 3 

oz.; muriatic acid, i pt. Dissolve, and add i pt. 
water and i oz. sal-ammoniac. 

To Solder Brass Easily. — Cut out a piece of 
tinfoil the size of the surface to be soldered. Then 
apply to the surface a solution of sal-ammoniac for 
a flux. Place the tinfoil between the pieces, and 
apply a hot soldering-iron uutil the tinfoil is melted. 

To Solder Without Heat.— Steel filings, 2 
oz.; brass filings, 2 oz. ; fluoric acid, iX oz. Dis- 
solve the fillings in the acid, and apply to the parts 
to be soldered, having first thoroughly cleaned the 
parts to be connected. Keep the fluoric acid in 
earthen or lead vessels only. 

To Tin Brass and Copper. — Make a mixture 
of 3 lbs. cream of tartar, 4 lbs. tin shavings, and 2 
gallons water, and boil. After the mixture has 
boiled sufficiently, ptit in the articles to be tinned, 
and continue the boiling. The tin will be precipi- 
tated on the articles. 

To Use in Case of Burns. — A free application 
of soft soap to a fresh burn almost instantly removes 
the fire from the flesh. If the injury is very severe, 
as soon as the pain ceases apply linseed oil, and 
then dust over with fine flour. When this covering 
dries hard, repeat the oil and flour dressing until a 
good coating is obtained. When the latter dries, 
allow it to stand until it cracks and falls off, as it 
will in a day or two, and a new skin will be found 
to have formed where the skin was burned. 

How to Mix Inks or Paints for Tints. — A 
larger quantity of the first-named color must 
always be used. Dark green and purple make 
bottle green. White and medium yellow make 
buff tint. Red, black, and blue make dark brown. - 
Bronze blue, lemon yellow, and black make dark 
green. White, medium yellow, and black make 
drab tint. Whive, lake, and lemon yellow make 
flesh tint. Lemon yellow and bronze blue make 
grass green. White and black make gray tint. 
White and purple make lavender tint. Red, black, 
and medium yellow make maroon. L'lke and 
purple make magenta. Medium yellow and purple 
make olive green. Medium yellow and red make 
orange. White, ultramarine blue, and black make 
pearl tint. White and lake make pink. Ultra- 
marine blue and lake make purple. Orange, lake, 
and purple make russet. Medium yellow, red. and 



45 



i^ 



THE PRACnCAL MECHANIC 



white make sienua. White and ultramarine blue 
make sky blue. Ultramarine blue, black, and 
white make slate. Vermillion and black make 
Turkey red. White, yellow, red, ^ud black make 
umber. 

Time=Savers. — We give the following figures 
as worth remembering. They will save calculation 
and give approximately accurate results with least 
amount of labor: 

Four loads, (cubic yds.) of stone, three bushels 
of lime and a cubic yard of sand, will lay one 
hundred cubic feet of wall. 

Five courses of brick will lay a foot in height 
on a chimney. 

Nine bricks in a course will make a flue eight 
inches wide and twenty inches long, and eight 
bricks in a course will make a flue eight inches 
wide and sixteen inches long. 

Eight bushels of good lime, sixteen bushels of 
sand and one bushel of hair, will make enough 
mortar to plaster oue hundred square yards. 

One-fifth more siding and flooring is needed 
than the number of square feet of surface to be 
covered, because j^f the lap in the siding and match- 
ing of the floor. 

One thousand laths will cover seventy yards 
of surface, and eleven pounds of lath nails will 
nail them on. 

One thousand shingles laid four inches to the 
weather, will cover one hundred square feet of sur- 
face, and five pounds of shingle nails will fasten 
them on. 

A Polish for Wocd. — The wooden parts of 
tools, such as the stocks of planes and handles of 
chisels, are often made to have a nice appearance 
by French polishing ; but this adds nothing to 
their durability. A much better plan is to let them 
soak in linseed oil for a week, and rub with a new 
cloth for a few minutes every day for a week or 
two. This produces a beautiful surface, and has a 
solidifying effect on the wood. 

To Calculate the Number of Shingles for a 
Roof. — To calculate number of shingles for a roof, 
ascertain number of square feet, and multiply by 
four, if two inches to weather, 8 for 4>< inches ; 
and 7 1-5 if 5 inches are exposed. The length of a 
rafter of one-third pitch is equal to three-fifths of 
width of building adding projection. 

A Chimney that Will Draw.— To build a 
chimney that will draw forever, and not fill up with 
soot, you must build it large enough, sixteen inches 
square ; use good brick, and clay instead of lime 
up to the comb ; plaster it inside with clay mixed 
with salt ; for chimney tops use the very best of 
brick, wet them and lay them in cement mortar. 
The chimney should not be built tight to beams 
and rafters ; there is where the cracks in your 
chimney comes, and where most of the fires origi- 
nate, as the chimney sometimes get red hot. A 
chimney built from the cellar up is better and less 
dangerous than one hung on the wall. 

Keeping Tools. — Keep your tools handy and 
in good condition. This applies everywhere and 
in every place, from the smallest shop to the great- 

146 



est mechanical establishment in the world. Every 
tool should have its exact place, and should always 
be kept there when not in use. 

Keeping tools in good order, and ready to use, 
is as necessary as keeping them in the proper 
place. To take up a dull saw, or a dull chisel, and 
try to do any kind of work with it, is worse than 
pulling a boat with a broom, and it all comes from 
just the same source as throwing down tools care- 
lessly — habit, nothing more or less. To say you 
have no time to sharpen is worse than outright 
lying, for, if you have time to use a dull tool, you 
have time to put it in good order. 

Three Thermometer Scales. — There are 
three standard thermometers in use, each a recog- 
nized standard iu oue or another part of the world. 
The scale of Reaumur (R.) prevails in Germany. 
As is well known, he divides the space between the 
freezing and boiling points into 80°. France uses 
that of Celsius (C), who graduated his scale on the 
decimal system. The most peculiar scale of all 
however, is that of Fahrenheit (F.), a renowned 
German physicist, who in 1714 or 17 15 composed 
his scale, having ascertained that water can oe 
cooled under the freezing point without congealing. 
He did not take the congealing point of water, 
which is uncertain, but composed a mixture of equal 
parts of snow and Sal Ammoniac^ about — 14° 
R. This scale is preferable to both those of Reau- 
mur and Celsius, or, as it is called, Centigrade, be 
cause: i. The regular temperatures of the moderate 
zone move within its two zeros, and can therefore 
be written without + or — • 2. The scale is divided 
so finely that it is not necessary to use fractions, 
when careful observations are to be made. These 
advantages, although drawn into question by some, 
have been considered so weighty, that both Great 
Britain and America have retained the scales, while 
the nations of the Continent use the other two. The 
conversion of any one of these scales into another 
is very simple, i. To change a temperature given 
by Fahrenheit's scale into the same given by the 
Centigrade scale, subtract 32° from Fahrenheit's 
degrees and multiply the remainder by 5-9. The 
product will be the temperature in Centigrade 
degrees. To change from Fahrenheit's to Reaumur's 
scale, subtract 32° from Fahrenheit's degrees, and 
multiply the remainder by 4-9. The product will 
be the temperature in Reaumur's degrees. 3. To 
change a temperature given by the Centigrade 
scale into the same given by Fahrenheit, multiply 
the Centigrade degrees by 9-5, and add 32° to the 
product. The sum will be the temperature by 
Fahrenheit's scale. 4. To change from Reaumur's 
to Fahrenheit's scale, multiply the degrees on 
Reaumur's scale b}' 9-4, and add 32° to the product. 
The sum will be the temperature by Fahrenheit's 
scale. 

Weighing Liquids.— One gallon of pure 
water weighs nearly 8>^ lbs. avoirdupois. "A 
pint is a pound " is an old saying, and very nearly 
true. The gallon containing 231 cubic inches, is 
the standard unit of wine measure. The British 
gallon, called the Imperial gallon, contains 277.274 
cubic inches. 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



33 



ENGINES AND BOILERS 



steam Boilers. — For all boilers three differ- 
ent parts, viz., fire-surface, water-space ar.d steam- 
room, must be considered. Kach part or division 
has a distinct and separate duty to perform. The 
fire-surface includes "the furnace and combustion 
chamber, flues and tubes ; the water-space is that 
part occupied by the water ; and the steam-room 
is the reservoir which holds and supplies the steam 
necessary to run the engine. 

For convenience, we may state that all steam- 
boilers are either internally or externally fired. 
When the fuel is burned in an iron furnace sur- 
rounded with a water-jacket or water-log, as in the 
case of the locomotive, marine and portable boilers, 
they are internally fired. Cylinder- flue, double- 
deck, tubulous and sectional boilers are said to be 
externally fired, because the fuel is burned in a 
brick furnace lined with fire-brick. 

A perfect steam-boiler should be made of the 
best material sanctioned by use, and should be 
simple in construction. It should have a constant 
and thorough circulation of water throughout the 
boiler, so as to maintain all parts at one tempera- 
ture. 

There should be a combustion chamber so ar- 
ranged that the combustion of the gases com- 
menced in the furnace may be completed before 
the escape to the chimney. 

Have all parts readily accessible for cleaning 
and repairs. 

In every boiler there should be ample water- 
surface for the disengagement of the steam from 
the water in order to prevent foaming. There 
should also be a large excess of strength over any 
legitimate strain, and proportioned for the work 
to be done. 

Only the very best gauges, safety-valves, fusible 
plugs, and other fixtures should be used. 

Jn a water-tube boiler there should be from 
lo to 12 square feet of heating surface for one 
horse-power ; in a tubular boiler 14 to 18 square 
feet of heating surface for one horse- power ; in a 
flue boiler 8 to 12 square feet of heating surface for 
one horse-power ; a plain cylinder boiler should 
have from 6 to 10 square feet of heating surface for 
one horse-power ; a. locomotive ^£>z7^r should have 
12 to 16 square feet of heating surface for one horse- 
power ; a vertical boiler should have from 15 to 20 
square feet of heating surface for one horse-power. 

When considering the heating surface of a 
boiler, a vertical or upright surface has only one- 
half the evaporative value of a horizontal surface 
above the flamet ; that is, the sides of a locomotive 
fire-box are only half as effective per square foot as 
the flat top of the box. In flues and tubes, the effct- 
ive surface, measured on the circumference, is i^( 
dmes the diameter. 

Useful Rules for Calculations. 

To find the fire-grate surface of flue boilers. 
^-Square the nominal horse-power, and divide it 
by the heating surface in square yards ; the quo- 
tient will be the fire-grate surface in square fefet — 



147 



or, one square foot of fire-grate surface per nominal 
horse-power. 

7o find the heating surface of a flue boiler. 
— Square the nominal horse- power as indicated by 
the manufacturer's receipt or bill of sale, and divide 
that by the fire grate surface in square feet ; the 
quotient will be the heating surface in square 
yards. 

Capacity of boiler flue. — One cubic yard of 
boiler capacity for each nominal horse-power. 
Steain-rootn should be about eight times the con- 
tents of the cylinder of the engine supplied with 
steam bv the boiler. 

Tubular or marine boilers. — Each nominal 
horse power requires the evaporation of one cubic 
foot of water per hour ; 12 square feet of heating 
surface, only three-fourths of the whole tube sur- 
face being taken as effective ; and 30 square inches 
of fire-grate per nominal horse-power. The sec- 
tional area of the tubes to be about one-sixth of 
the fire grate. 

General rule for all classes of boilers. — 
Twelve square feet of heating surface and three- 
fourths square foot of fire-grate per nominal horse- 
power, are very good proportions. 

temp:erature indicated by the coi.or of 

THE EIRE. 

To determine the temperature of a furnace fire 
from the color of the flame : 

Faint red 960° F. 

Bright red 1,300° F. 

Cherry red 1,600° F. 

Dull orange 2,000° F. 

Bright orange 2,100° F. 

White heat 2,400° F. 

Brilliant white heat 2,700° F. 

How to Care for Boilers. 

Every one who owns a steam-boiler, as well as 
the engineer who is responsible for the same, 
should at all times exercise the greatest care. A 
fifteen-story building may be fire-proof and ever 
so strong, yet a defective boiler in the basement or 
carelessness in its management, may cause an 
explosion which will wreck the whole structure. 
The following suggestions are important : 

I. Great care should be exercised to see 
that safety-valves are ample in size and in working 
order. Overloading or neglect frequently leads to 
the most disastrous results. Safety-valves should 
be tried at least once a day to see if they will act 
properly. 

2.' The first duty of an engineer before start- 
ing is to see that the water is at the proper height. 
Do not rely on glass gauges, floats or water alarms, 
but try the gauge-cocks. 

3. The steam-gauge should stand at zero 
when the pressure is off, and it should show same 
pressure as the safety-valve when the latter is blow- 
mg off. If not, then one is wrong, and the gauge 
should be tested by one known to be correct. 



34 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



4. Both gauge-cocks and water-gauges must 
be kept clean. Water-gauges should be blown out 
frequently, and the glasses and passages to gauge 
kept clean. 

5. Feed-pumps or injectors should be kept 
in perfect order, and of ample size. No make of 
pump can be expected to be continuously reliable 
without regular and careful attention. It is always 
safe to have two means of feedmg the boiler. Check- 
valves and self acting feed-valves should be fre- 
quently examined and cleaned. Satisfy yourself 
that the valve is actmg when the feed-pump is at 
work. 

6. Cold water should never be fed into a 
boiler if it can be avoided, but, when necessary, it 
should be caused to mix with the heated water 
before coming in contact with any portion of the 
boiler. 

7. In case of low water immediately cover the 
fire with ashes (wet if possible) or any earth that 
may be at hand. If nothing else is handy use 
fresh coal. Draw fires as soon as it can be done 
without incre.ising the heat'. Neither turn on the 
feed, start or slof^ engine, or lift safety-valve until 
fires are out a 11 J (i. e boiler cooled doivn. 

8. Fusible plugs, when used, niu'^t be exam- 
ined when the boiler is cleaned, and carefully 
scraped clean on both water and fire sides, or they 
are liable not to act. ' 

9. Moderately thick fires are most economical, 
but thin firing must be used when draught is poor. 
Take care to keep the grates evenly covered, and 
allow no air-holes in the fire. Be especially careful 
to lay the coal along the sides and in the corners. 
All lumps should bebrokcu into the size of aman's 
fist. With bituminous coal, firing in front, and 
then shoving the coal back, when it is coked, gives 
the best result. Do not " clean " fires oftener than 
necessary. The cleaning of the fire is best done, in 
ordinary working, by a "rake," or other tool, 
working on the under side of the grate, and not by 
a "slice-bar," driven into the mass of fuel above 
the grates. 

10. Clean all heating surfaces outside and in, 
or there will be serious waste of fuel. As a rule, 
never allow over one-sixteenth scales or soot to 
colljct on surfaces between cleanings. Hand-holes 
should be frequently removed, and surfaces exam- 
ined, particularly in case of a new boiler, until 
proper intervals between cleanings have been estab- 
lished by experience. Examine mud-drums and 
remove sediment therefrom. 

11. When foaming occurs in a boiler, check- 
ing the outflow of the steam will usually stop it. If 
caused by dirty water, blowing down and pump- 
ing up will generally cure it. In cases of violent 
foaming, check the draught and cover the fires. 

12. Never empty the boiler while the brick- 
work is hot. 

13. Don't indulge in rapid firing. Steam 
should be raised slowly from a cold boiler. 

14. If a boiler is not required for some time, 
empty and dry it thoroughly. If this is imprac- 
tical, fill it quite full of water, and put in a quan- 
tity of common washing soda. 



15. All things about the boiler-room should 
be kept clean and in good order. Negligence 
tends to waste and decay. 

For the Engineer and Firemen 

Always start your engine slowly, so that the 
air and water condensation can be expelled from 
your cold cylinder ; then you will gradually bring 
it to its regular speed. 

Keep open the drip cock, both in the front and 
back ends of the cylinder, when the engine is 
standing still, and never close them until all the 
water has dripped out. 

Never let in any oil or tallow to your cylinder 
until it is made hot by the steam. 

Be careful not to put in too much oil at any 
time, knowing, as you do, that it will be sent to the 
feed-water causing your boiler to prime and foam. 

Always oil up before starting your engine. 

Generally, when you pack the piston packing, 
both cylinder and packing are cold, and if they are 
screwed or wedged in very tight while in this con- 
dition that the expansion, when exposed to the 
heat of the steam, will induce great rigidity. 

Then the oil or lubricating substance cannot 
enter between the surfaces in contact, and that 
great friction, heating and cutting will be the 
result. 

When packing loses its elasticity it is no good, 
and should be removed. 

Piston or valve-rod packing, should never be 
screwed up more than sufficient to prevent it from 
leaking, and that the softer the packing the longer 
it will last and the better your engine will run. 

For Steam = Heating of Houses. — To esti- 
mate for the steam-heating of dwellings it is safe 
to allow one square foot of boiler surface for each 
ten square feet of radiating surface. Small boilers 
should be larger proportionately than large boilers. 

Each horse-power of boiler will supply from 
250 to 350 feet of i-inch conducting pipes, which 
equals about 80 to 120 square feet of radiating sur- 
face. 

It is safe to estimate that under ordinary cir- 
cumstances, one horse-power of boiler capacity will 
heat about as follows : 

15,000 to 20,000 cubic feet in brick buildings in 
blocks. 

10,000 to 15,000 cubic feet in brick stores in 
blocks. 

10,000 to 15,000 cubic feet in brick dwellings, 
exposed all sides. 

7,000 to 10,000 cubic feet in brick mills, shops, 
etc. 

7,000 to 10,000 cubic feet in wooden buildings 
exposed. 

6,000 to 10,000 cubic feet in foundries and 
wooden shops. 

All the joints should be made steam and water 
tight, as the slightest leak in a steam-heating sys- 
tem is apt to damage furniture, curtains, carpets, 
etc., if the steam is intended to heat a dwelling. 
Red or white lead is all right as material to make 
up joints, but graphite is much better. For gas- 
kets there is nothing better than asbestos. 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



35 



How to Thaw Out a Frozen Steani=Pipe. — 

A good way to thaw out a frozea-up steam-pipe, is 
lo take some old cloth, discarded clothes, waste, old 
carpet, or anything of that kind, and lay on the 
pipe to be thawed ; then get some boiling hot water 
and pour it on. The cloth will hold the heat on 
the pipe, and thaw it out in five minutes. This 
holds good in any kind of a freeze, water-wheel, 
or anything else. 

Steam as a Cleansing Agent. — For cleaning 
greasy machinery nothing can be found that is 
more useful than steam. A steam hose attached 
to the boiler can be made to d :> better work in a 
few minutes than any one is able to do in hours of 
close application. The principal advantages of 
steam are, that it will penetrate where an instru- 
ment will not enter, and where anything else would 
be ineffectual to accomplish the desired result. 
Journal boxes with oil cellars will get filthy in 
lime, and are difl&cult to clean in the ordinary 
way ; but, if they can be removed, or are in a 
favorable place, so that steam can be used, it is a 
veritable play-work to rid them of any adhering 
substance. What is especially satisfactory in the 
use of steam, is that it does not add to the filth. 
Water and oil spread the foul matter, and thus 
make an additional amount of work. 

Suggestion for Hot=Water Heating Sys- 
tems. — Let your " risers" not be less than T-%" , 
for smaller pipes goon become coated, if the water 



used contains lime or other matters in solution or 
suspension. 

Galvanized pipe is best; it does not become 
rusty and discolor the water. 

In ordinary pipe be sure to get ' ' galvanized 
steam," and not " galvanized gas." 

Let your draw-off services be for bath i" , to 
lavatories \'' , for hot water y^'' . Do not make 
the "draw-offs" too small; it takes too long to 
drain a pipe of cold water. 

The larger the pipes the freer the circulation, 
and, if you have hard water, they will remain in 
good order longer. 

Be sure that all joints are secure and free from 
leaks, and always look through a pipe before fit- 
ting it in place, to see that there is no dirt or im- 
pediment to the flow of the water through it. 

Avoid the use of elbows in circulating pipes, 
use only bends ; if you cannotavoid using an elbow, 
see that it is a round one. 

A Cheap Filter. — A cheap filter which any 
tinner can make is 12 x 6 inches in size, and 8 inches 
high. The water flows in near the top, and on the 
top is a door through which to get into it to clean 
it. The outlet pipe at the bottom projects 2 
inches up on the inside to hold the dirt back. A 
large sponge is placed inside, which forms the 
filtering medium, which, of course, can be cleaned 
as often as desired. The place of the sponge may be 
taken by powdered charcoal placed in a cotton bag. 



TABLES OF MEASURE AND WEIGHT 



Linjar Measure. 

12 inches = i foot 
3 feet = 

"} = 



5}i yards 
leyi feet 

320 rods 
5,280 feet 
4 rods 



I yard. 
I rod. 






100 links J 



= I mile. 
= I chain. 



= I square yard. 
: square rod. 



Square Measure. 
144 square inches = i square foot 
9 square feet = i 

2,0% square yards \ 

272X square feet J 
160 square rods \ _ ^^^ 
10 square chains J 

Cubic Measure. 
1,728 cubic inches = i cubic foot. 
27 cubic feet = i cubic yard. 
128 cubic feet = i cord. 
24^ cubic feet = i perch of stone. 

Dry Measure. 
2 pints = I quart. 
8 quarts = i peck. 

4 pecks 1^1 bushel. 

2150.4 cubic inches J 

Liquid Measure. 
4 gills = I pint. 
2 pints = I quart. 



23 



149 



4 quarts ") „ 

I cubic inches | = ^ ^^^on. 

Avoirdupois Weight. 

16 ounces 1 , 

7,ooQ.grains | = ^ P^"*^*!- 
2,000 pounds rr: I ton. 
2,240 pounds = I long ton. 

Troy Weight 
24 grains = i pennyweight. 

21 pennyweights = I ounce, 
12 ounces ") , 

5,760 grains | = ^ POund. 

Apothecaries' Weight. 
20 grains = i scruple. 

3 scruples = i fluid dram. 

8 fluid drams = i ounce. 
12 fluid ounces = i pound. 

Apothecaries ' Measure. 
60 minims = i fluid dram. 

8 fluid drams = i ounce. 
10 fluid ounces = i pint. 

Time Measure. 
60 seconds = i minute. 
60 minutes = i hour. 
24 hours = I day. 
7 days = I week. 

365 days = I year. 

366 days =r I leap year. 



i^ 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



Circular Measure. 
60 seconds = i minute. 
60 minutes ^= i degree. 
360 degrees =^ i circle 

English Money. 
4 farthings ^= i penny. 
12 pennies = i shilling. 

20 shillings = i pound. 

21 shillings = i guinea. 

Surveyors^ Linear Measure. 
7.92 inches = i link. 

25 links = I rod. 

100 links or four rods = i chaiL. 
80 chains = i mile. 

Paper Measure. 
24 sheets = i quire. 
20 quires = i ream. 

2 reams = i bundle. 

5 bundles = i bale. 

Notes. — The chain {ch.), used by surveyors is 
called Gunter's chain, and consists of 100 links (/.). 
Its length is 792 inches, equal to 66 feet, or 4 rode. 
Its divisions are decimal, so that chains and links 
may be written as one number in the same manner 
as dollars and cents, 

Thus, since 35 links equal .35 of a chain, 35 
links is written 25 .J5 chains. 

Any year the number of which is exactly 
divisible by 4, but not by 100, is a leap year. When 
the number is divisible exactly by 400 it is also a 
ieap year. 

The solar or tropical year has a length of 
365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 49.7 seconds. 

The Metric System. 

1. The Metric System of weights and meas- 
ures has been legalized in the United States. Its 
fundamental unit is the meter, from which all the 
other units of the system are derived. The meter 
is equal to 30.37 + inches. 

2. The meter is defined as the ten-millionth 
part of the distance from the Equator to the North 
Pole, measured on the meridian passing through 
Paris. Later measurements have shown that the 
meter does not exactly correspond with the length 
required by the definition. 

3. The principal point of superiority of the 
metric measures is in their decimal scale. As in 
the case of United States money, several denomi- 
nations may be written together as one number. 
Thus, 9 Mm. 7 Km. 5 Hm. 3 Dm. 8 m. 4 dm. 6 cm. 
5 mm. may be written as one denomination : 
97538465 mm., or 9753846.5 cm., or 97538.465 m., 
or 9 7538465 Mm., etc. Reduction ascending and 
reduction descending thus become a mere matter 
of moving the decimal point. 

Metric Heasures. 

10 millimeters {mm.) = 1 centimeter, . . . rm. 
10 centimeters = i decimeter, . . . d/n. 
10 decimeters = i meter, m. 



10 meters 
10 dekameters 
10 hektometers 
10 kilometers 



= I dekametei, . 
= 1 hektometer, 
= I kilometer, . 
I myriameter, 



Dm 
Hm. 
K^n. 
Mm. 



Metric Square Measure 

100 sq. millemeters 



^-^ — ^. — .»^.„wv— „ 
100 sq. centimeters 
100 sq. decimeters 
100 sq. meters 
100 sq. dekameters 
100 sq. hektometers 



I sq. centimeter, 
I sq. decimeter, 
I sq. meter, 
I sq. dekameter, 
I sq. hektometer, 
= I sq. kilometer. 



100 sq. hektometers = i sq. kilometer. 

Note. — The principal unit is the square meter, 
equal to 1. 196 sq. yds. 

Metric Land Measure. 

100 centares (ca.) = i are, a. 

100 ares = i hectare, Ha. 

Note. — The are, equal to a square dekameter, 
or 100 square meters, is 119.6 square yards, very 
nearly. The hektare is equal to 2.471 acres. 

Metric Cubic Measure. 

1000 cubic millimeters = i cubic centimeter, 
1000 cubic centimeters =; i cubic decimeter, 
1000 cubic decimeters =; i cubic meter. 

Note. — The cubic vieler is equal to 35.3166 
cubic feet. When used to measure wood or stone, 
it is called a stere (pronounced stair). Ten steres, 
called a dekastere, are equal to 2.759 cords. 

rietric Capacity Measure. 



I centiliter, {cl.) 
I deciliter, {dl.) 
I liter, (/.) 
I dekaliter, {Dl.) 
I hektoliter, {HI.) 
I kiloliter, (A7.) 



10 milliliters {ml.) = 

10 centiliters = 

10 deciliters = 

10 liters = 

10 dekaliters ^= 

10 hektoliters = 

The liter, {I.), equal to a cubic decimeter, is 
61.028 cubic inches, 2.1135 pints, or 33.816 fluid 
ounces. The unit of measure for small quantities 
of liquids, as in mixing medicines and in philo- 
sophical experiments, is the milliliter, equal to 
16.23 niinims. 

A gallon is equal to 5.785 /., and 2.8375 bush, 
make a HI. 

rietric Weight. 



I centigram, {eg.) 
I decigram, {dg.) 
I gram, {g.) 
I dekagram, {Dg.) 
I hektogram, {Hg.) 
I kilogram or kilo. Kg 
I tonne, (7".) 



10 milligrams {mg.) = 

10 centigrams = 

10 decigrams = 

10 grams .= 

10 dekagrams = 

10 hektograms = 

-000 kilos = 

Note i. — The gram is equal to 15.4323 grainSs 
the ktlo to 2.2046 lb. avoirdupois, and the tonne to 
2204.6 lb. avoirdupois. Tonne is rarely used, the 
number of kilos being preferable. 

The weight of one cubic cetititneter of pure 
water at its greatest density (39.2° Fahrenheit) is a 
gram ; the weight of a cubic decimeter, or a liter, 
o{ water at the same temperature is a kilogram, or 
a kilo, and the weight of a cubic meter of water is 
a tonne. 



150 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



37 



The origioal 5-cent nickel weighs 5 grams, and 
rs 2 centimeters in diameter. 

Equivalents. 

Metre = 39-37 inches (3X ft. nearly). 

Kilometre = .62138 mile (j^ nearly). 
Square metre =■ 1.196 square yards (i 1-5 nearly). 
Cubic metre = 1.308 cubic yards (i 1-3 nearly). 
I,itre = I cu. dm. 

= 1.0567 liquid quarts (i nearly). 

= .908 dry quart (.9 nearly). 
Kilogram = The weight of i cu. dm. of water 
at 29. 2 Fah. 

= 2.2046 pounds av. (2 1-5 nearly). 
Hektare = 10,000 sq. m. 

= 2.471 acres (2^ nearly). 
Stere = i cu. m. 

= .2759 cord (3- 1 1 nearly). 



Miscellaneous Tables. 

Linear Measures. 

3 barley-corns, or sizes = i inch. Used by shoe- 
makers. 
r Used to measure 
'■ the height of 
horses at the 
l_ shoulder. 
21.888 inches = i sacred cubit. 

{Used to meas- 
ure depths 
at sea. 
3 feet = I pace. 



4 inches 



= I hand. \ 



1.152% common miles = i geog. mi. 

3 geographic miles = i league. 
Book Measure. 

The book is 



Used to 
m easure 
distances 
at sea. 



A sheet 
folded into 
2 leaves 

4 " 

8 " 

12 " 

16 " 

18 " 



a folio, 

a quarto or 4to, 

an octavo or 8vo, 16 

a duodecimo or i2mo, 24 

a i6mo, 32 

an i8mo, 36 



A sheet of 
paper makes 
4 PP- (pages) 



The weight of a bushel of certain articles is as 
follows : 



Barley, . . . 
Beans, . . . 
Buckwheat, 
Bran, . . . 
Com, . . . 
Com meal, . 
Corn in ear, 
Clover seed, 
Flax seed, . 



, 48 lb. 

, 60 " 

,42 " 

, 20 " 

56 " 

50 •' 

68 " 

60 " 

56 " 



Hemp seed, ... 44 lb. 

Oats, 32 " 

Onions, 60 " 

Peas 60 " 

Potatoes 60 " 

Rye, 56 " 

Salt, 56 " 

Timothy seed, . 45 " 
Wheat, 60 " 



Miscellaneous Weights and Measures. 

100 lb. of grain or flour r:^ i cental. 

100 " dry fish — I quintal. 



100 lb. of nails 

196 " flour 

200 " beef or pork 

240 " lime 

280 " saltatN. Y. 

Keg powder. 

Stone of lead or iron 

Pig 



= I keg. 

= I barrel. 

= I barrel. 

= I cask. 
Salt Works = i barrel. 

= 25 pounds. 

= 14 pounds. 

= '2.1% stone. 
Anthracite coal, broken, cubic foot averages 
54 lbs. 

A ton, loose, occupies 40 to 43 cubic feet. 
Bituminous coal, broken, cub. ft. averages 49 



lbs. 



A ton, loose, occupies 40 to 43 ft. 
Cement (Hy.) Rosendale, Bush. ^= 70 lbs. 



" " lyouisville, 


" =-62 " 


" " Portland, 


" =96" 


Gypsum, ground, 


" =70 '« 


Ivime, loose, 


" =70 '« 


" well shaken, 


" =80 " 


Sand at 98 lbs. per cu. ft. 


" =-I22>^ «' 


18.29 bush. = ton I.] 


81 ton = cu. yd 


A cable's length = 


240 yards. 


20 articles = 


I score. 


12 dozen = 


I gross. 


12 gross =■ 


I great gross. 


A cord of wood = 


128 cubic feet. 


I hand =^ 


4 inches. 


I span = 


9 inches. 



Shoemaker's Measure. 

No. I, of small size is 4^ inches long. 
No. I, of large size is 8 11-24 inches long. 
Each succeeding number of either size is Yj, of 
an inch additional length. 

60 pairs of shoes = i case. 

An American Car Load 

Of 20,000 lbs. would contain the following articles : 
70 bbl. salt. 70 of lime. 90 of flour. 70 of 

whiskey. 200 sacks of flour. 6 cords of soft wood. 

15 to 20 head of cattle. 50 to 60 head of hogs. 80 

to 100 head of sheep. 6000 feet of solid boards. 

340 bush, of wheat. 400 of corn. 680 of oats. 400 

of barley. 360 of flaxseed. 360 of apples. 430 of 

Irish potatoes. 300 of sweet potatoes. 100 of bran. 

130 to 190 barrels of eggs. 15,000 to 26,000 lbs. of 

butter. 200 kegs of nails. 

On roads, with track in best condition, a car 

load is from 24,000 to 60,000 lbs. 



151 



231 

268 

277. 

2150. 

2216. 

2747. 

1000 

8i- 

5760 

7000 

24. 

36 



niscellaneous Equivalents. 

cu. in. = I gal. liquid measure. 
4-5 " =1 gal. dry measure. 

274 " =1 imperial gal. of Great Britain. 

42 " r= I bushel of U. S. 

192 " =1 " " Great Britain. 

7 " =1 heaped bushel. 

oz. or diYz lb. = I cu. ft. of pure water. 
-3 lb. pure water = i gallon. 

grains = i lb. Troy or apothecaries'. 

" = I " avoirdupois. 

75 cu. ft. = I perch of masonry, 

to 45 cu. ft. ■= I ton anthracite coal. 



38 



THE PRACTICAL MECHANIC 



Bible Weights and fleasures. 



A day's journey 


=r 


11 1-5 U. S. miles. 


A Sabbath-day's jouruey 


r=- 


I " mile 


Ezekiel's reed 


= 


II feet nearly. 


Cubit — Hebrew 


= 


22 inches, nearly. 


Greek 


= 


i8 " about. 


A finger's breadth 


=r 


I inch, " 


A shekel of silver 


= 


62^ cents. 


A " gold 


= 


$8.09. 


A talent of silver 


= 


11,518.32. 


gold 


= 


$23,309. 


A piece of silver 


== 


13 cents. 


A farthing 


-= 


3 " 


A gerah 


— 


■xYz " 


A mite 


= 


\)A mills. 


A homer (as dry measure 


= 


II 1-9 bushels. 


A " ( " liquid " ) 


— 


70 gallons and 5 pints 


An ephah or bath 


= 


7 " " 4 " 


A bin 


r^ 


I gallon " 2 " 


A firkin 


= 


7 " 


An omer 


= 


6 " 


A cab 


= 


3 " 


A log 


= 


% " 



Capacity of Cylindrical Cisterns. 

The following table shows the capacity in gal- 
lons for one foot in depth of cylindrical cisterns of 
any dimensions. Find the diameter of any given 
cistern and multiply the number of gallons for one 
foot by the depth of the cistern, and you will have 
its volume in gallons : 



Diameter. 


Gallons. 


Diameter. 


Gallons. 


2 feet 


19 


6>^ feet 


206 


2^ feet 


30 


7 feet 


239 


3 feet 


44 


8 feet 


313 


4 feet 


78 


9 feet 


396 


4>^ feet 


99 


10 feet 


489 


5 feet 


122 


1 1 feet 


592 


6 feet 


176 


12 feet 


705 



Mensuration ; or, Useful Rules for Computing 
Measurements. 

Area of a triangle = base X K altitude. 

Area of a parallelogram, multiply base by altitude. 

Area of a trape- j altitude X K the sum of par- 

zoid \ allel sides. 

Area of a trape- f divide into two triangles and 

zium \ find area of the triangles. 

Circumference | •,- , . . 

of circle = I diameter X 3-1416. 

Diameter of cir- f . ^ s., ^ 

cle = \ cicumference X •3183- 



Area of circle 



= { 



Area of circular 
ring 

Side of square 
that shall 
equal area 
of circle 

Diameter of cir- 
cle that shall 
contain area = 
of a given 
square 



square of the diameter mul- 
tiplied by .7854. 
diameters of the two circles 
X difference of diameter and 
that product by .7854. 

diameter X 8812 or circum- 
ference X .2821. 



side of square X 1.1284. 



Surface of cylin- f 

der or prism \ 

Coutents of cyl- i 
inder or ^= \ 

prism 

Surface of 

sphere 

Contents of sphere 

Contents of py- r 

ramid or cone^' \ 

Surface of frus- 
tum of cone =^ 
or pyramid 

Contents of frus- | 
trum of cone= -j 
or pyramid I 

Contents of a f 

wedge ~ \ 



area of both ends -|- length 
X circumference. 

\ area of end X length. 

\ diameter X circumference. 

=^ diameter.3 X -5236. 

area of base X Yi altitude. 

sum of circumference at both 
ends X slant height -}- area 
of both ends. 

multiply areas of two ends 
together and extract square 
root. Add to this root the 
two areas and X Yi altitude. 

area of base X X altitude. 



152 



Lumber and its Measurement. 

A board foot is i foot long, i foot wide, and i 
inch thick, and is used as the unit of measurement. 

What is called scantling lumber is 3 or 4 
inches wide, and from 2 to 4 inches thick. Joist 
is usually narrow and deep. When lumber is 
heavier than joist or scantling it is called timber. 
Thick boards are called planks. The usual out- 
side covering of wooden houses is siding. 

If lumber is less than i inch in thickness it is 
considered as inch in computing the measure- 
ment. But a fraction greater than a half-inch is 
called an inch, and if less than a half it is rejected. 
A board 45-6 inches wide would be considered as 
5 inches. 

A board 16 feet long, 12 inches wide, and i 
inch thick would contain (16 X 12 X ^)-'- ^2, or 
16 feet. A board 12 feet long, 14 inches wide, and 
3 inches thick, would contain (12 X I4 X 3) -:- 12, 
or 42 feet, board measure. 

To find the number of board feet in any pile of 
lumber : Multiply the length in feet by breadth in 
feet and by thickness in inches, and the result by 
number of boards. 

To Compute Volume of Square Timber. 

When all the dimensions are in feet : 
Rule. Multiply the breadth by the depth and 
that pioduct by the length, and the product will 
give the volume in cubic feet. 

When either of the dimensiotts are in inches : 
Rule. Multiply the length, breadth and depth 
and divide by 12. 

When any two of the diinensions are in inches: 
Rule. Multiply the length, breadth and depth 
and divide by 144. 

To Measure Round Timber take the girth in 
inches at both the large and small ends, add them, 
divide by two, which gives the mean girth ; then 
multiply the length in feet by the square of one- 
fourth of the mean girth, and the quotient will be 
the contents in cubic feet. This rule is commonly 
adopted, and gives four-fifths of the true contents, 
one-fifth being allowed to the purchaser for waste 
in sawing. 



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Pi- 




BOOK IV. 

BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 

Every one has a smile and a helping hand for the courteous man or 
woman, while the rude person, even if mistaken through ignorance, offends 
everybody. Ordinary politeness is so much governed by custom that it is 
easy for anyone to learn and use in every-day life ; and all these rules are 
given in this book sensibly as practised by the best society. The etiquette of 
conversation, parties of all kinds, visiting, receiving guests, weddings, funerals, 
and all private and public occasions, is made clear and easy to follow with 
confidence. There are also valuable instructions in the art of letter-writing, 
and what to wear on all occasions. 



Book of Etiquette 

WHAT TO DO— WHAT TO WEAR— WHAT TO SAY— WHAT TO WRITE- 
THE CORRECT THING AT HOME— AT PARTIES— AT WEDDINGS 
—AT ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FUNCTIONS 



GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF GOOD MANNERS 



Good manners stand next to a good 
heart in adapting men and women to the 
community in which they live. Indeed, so 
far as the opinion of ordinary society rules, 
they go further, for however gifted by 
nature or education one may be, or however 
well-intentioned and virtuous in conduct, if 
he is ignorant of the customs and require- 
ments of good society, is awkward or un- 
graceful in manner, careless in speech, and 
heedless of social demands, and even of the 
arbitrary dictates of fashion, he risks expos- 
ing himself to ridicule, and may be neglected 
Dr contemned, while men far below him in 
character and ability, but with superior 
'^.nowledge of correct social deportment, 
flay become the admired favorites of the 
vorld. In short, it may be said that success 
n life often depends far more oi\ appearance 
and deportment than on innate character. 

According to Swift, good manners are 
the art of making those people v/ith whom 
we converse feel at ease. This is doubtless 
true so far as conversation is concerned. 
Persons of generous impulses naturally seek 
to render themselves agreeable to those into 
whose company they come, and are no more 
eager to gain enjoyment for themselves than 
to bestow pleasure upon others. The art ot 
pleasing is, in truth, a simple one, but fre- 
quently its cultivation is too much neglected. 
Many persons become so solicitous for the 
promotion of their own pleasure as to forget 
that their neighbors have claims upon them. 



Yet every man who enters society should 
bear in mind that, in a sense, he ceases to 
be an individual, and becomes part of an 
association, a social organism, as it has been 
called ; met together, not for any one's per- 
sonal gratification, but for the pleasure of 
the whole company. 

The first requisite in our intercourse with 
the world, and the chief in giving pleasure 
to our associates, is sincerity of heart, a 
quality which lends the same ornament to 
character which modesty does to manners. 
A second important element of social be- 
havior is lack of self-assertion, a modesty 
of manner, native or acquired, which is in 
no sense inconsistent with firmness and dig- 
nity of character. The well-bred man feels 
at ease in all companies, is modest without 
appearing bashful, and self-possessed with- 
out an undue forwardness of manner. 

The Art of Conversation. 

To one who would make his way in the 
society of intelligent people, a well selected 
fund of information and anecdote is a highly 
important prerequisite. An enlightened 
understanding and a store of interesting 
knowledge are essential to him who would 
shine in conversation. None can hope to 
make small talk go far with people of cul- 
ture, and all who wish to win credit in social 
circles will need something deeper and more 
enduring than chat on passing trifles and 
local events. 



155 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



The faculty of communicating thought 
is, in a great measure, peculiar to man, and 
the pleasure which he derives from the in- 
terchange of ideas is one of his leading ele- 
ments of enjoyment. There is nothing more 
agreeable to most persons than pleasant, 
sprightly, fluent conversation, spiced with 
anecdote, and seasoned with the results of 
good reading, and we are all happily consti- 
tuted to take delight in the mutual inter- 
change of thoughts. 

The best rule of conversation undoubt- 
edly is, to "adapt yourself to your com- 
pany." Thus commercial men enjoy con- 
versation on subjects having some relation 
to affairs of business ; men of pleasure, 
whose thoughts are given only to entertain- 
ment, prefer light talk on pastimes or social 
events ; and professional men love to dwell 
on new books, the discoveries of scientists, 
the latest doings in the arts, and similar 
learned subjects. 

Attention to these suggestions will be of 
use in helping men of learning and men 
of pleasure alike to derive mutual advantage 
from their different qualifications, and we 
need but say further that those who wish to 
please should be well informed on subjects 
of most general interest, whether this interest 
be of temporary or permanent character. 
An accurate and extensive knowledge on 
learned subjects is far from being sufficient 
for conversational needs, and may lead to 
prosy and wearisome talk in the opinion of 
less erudite people ; one must also have a 
ready knowledge of the common occurrences 
of life, and of important events which are 
arising day after day, must know something 
of the fine art of chatting, and how to spice 
heavy subjects with anecdote and illustra- 
tion. The art of conversation is a difficult 
one to acquire, and fine conversers must be 
born wnth a native faculty in that direction. 

Avoid Heated Argument. 

Speech is so vital an element of social 
intercourse that too much attention cannot 
be given to its requisites, or too much study 
to its cultivation. 

In conversation it is of high importance 
to avoid heated argument. Difference of 
opinion is likely to arise very frequently, 
but one should always express his views 



calmly and gently, and avoid all eager or 
loud assertion. It is not so important that 
you should force your auditors to accept 
your special views. If your antagonist 
begins to grow warm, you should at once 
put an end to the argument by a quiet turn- 
ing of the conversation. Disputes severely 
try the temper of many men, and are likely 
to end in the mortification of one disputant, 
generally with no advantage to the victor. 
They should, therefore, be avoided. 

Yet no one is called upon, for the sake 
of avoiding argument, to give a general 
assent to all that is said in company. As- 
sent without conviction indicates a mean 
and subservient spirit, and may tend to con- 
firm others in wrong opinions. Yet it is 
wise to oppose calmly and correct with 
gentleness, and, while showing that you 
have a mind of your own, to show that you 
respect the opinions of your companions. 

Consider the Feelings of Others. 

Do not speak in a loud voice or assume 
a dictatorial tone, and if a statement is 
made which you know to be incorrect, be 
careful of the manner in which you correct 
the speaker. Suggest a correction, rather 
than make it ; and if the matter is unim- 
portant it is far better to let it pass un- 
noticed. There is nothing more unwise 
than to insist on trifles. Those who go 
abroad to correct the world's mistakes are 
apt to find themselves very frequently in 
hot water. If addressed in an offensive 
tone, it is the part of wisdom not to notice 
it ; an intention even to insult or annoy can 
safely be passed over for the time being. 
One should consider the feelings of the 
other persons p resent, and not annoy them 
with personal affairs of a disagreeable 
character, nor permit others to force him 
into a quarrel in company. There is. of 
course, a limit of insult which a self-respect- 
ing man can not let pass ; but to bear and 
forbear is the part of good manners. Quar- 
rels can be left to bide their time, and there 
is no better way of repelling an inuendo 
than by ignoring it or treating it as un- 
worthy of notice. Such a thing as a 
"scene " in society is, above all things, to 
be avoided. It is the insulter who loses 
social caste, not the insulted. 
56 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Care in the Use of Witticisms. 

If you have wit, or fancy you have, 
which is oftener the case, it is well to use it 
with caution and judgment, and particularly 
to avoid seeking butts for 5'our wit among 
your associates. Wit is a quality which 
all admire, yet which most fear, and which 
no one enjoys being made the victim of. 
If used in a satirical manner it is often malig- 
nant in character, and any man possessed of 
this cutting weapon may find much better 
occasioi s for its use than against the self- 
love or the foibles of his acquaintances. A 
wise man, indeed, will live as much within 
his wit as within his income, and it is far 
better to be content with good sense and 
reason, which can never hurt, than with 
this shining but cutting plaything of wit. 
However you may be admired for your 
sharpness of repartee, it is still true that 
respect and affection can be won only by 
good sense and amiable consideration of the 
feelings of others. 

There is a species of minor wit, that 
known as raillery, which is much used, and 
much abused. It is a dangerous and mis- 
chievous weapon in unskilful hands, and 
had better be left entirely alone. In truth, 
the injustice of a bad man is often more 
quickly forgiven than the insults of a witty 
one. The former injures us in property ; 
the latter hurts us in soul, mortifying that 
secret pride which we all possess. Raillery, 
indeed, is not always offensive ; it may even 
be used to flatter, as when we accuse one of 
faults which they are notoriously free from. 
But this sort of raillery needs a skilled hand 
to manage, and had better be left quite 
alone if it cannot be handled judiciously. 

AH can be Agreeable. 

It is not given to every man to be a 
brilliant talker, or to express himself in 
writing with elegance or force. Both of 
these are gifts of the few, not possessions of 
the many. There is, however, no reason 
why any person who goes into society 
should be ignorant of the rules of polite in- 
tercourse, Oi fail to master all the customary 
forms of address. 

It is almost useless to repeat that your 
conversation should be adapted to your 
company, for that is a golden rule which 



one should know almost by intuition. In 
mixed groups one should sedulously avoid 
all such mooted points as politics and reli- 
gion, and every topic likely to excite argu- 
ment or lead to heated discussion. 

You cannot be too careful in avoiding, 
in mixed assemblages, subjects which may 
prove to point directly to some persons 
present. For instance, do not speak of the 
laxity of the divorce laws when Mr. M. or 
Mrs. N. may, unknown to you, have passed 
through the divorce court. And do not 
express yourself strongly against second 
marriages, when there may, perhaps, be one 
or two examples among your listeners If 
a sudden silence, with perhaps a conscious 
look, follows your words, you had better 
change the subject as quickly as possible, 
and be glad that you have escaped from a 
hornets' nest without a sting. 

Avoid Referring to Your Own Exploits. 

Talk of yourself and your own affairs as 
little as possible, and bear in mind that to 
drag into a general conversation the names of 
distinguished persons to whom you may be 
related, or who may be numbered among 
your friends, is more apt to excite contempt 
than to yield admiration. To speak of j'our 
own exploits, or give examples of your 
special prowess and sagacity, without re- 
quest of the company, is always in bad 
taste, and is more likely to gain you credit 
for self-conceit than for the qualities boasted 
of. Leave matters of this kind for people 
to find out and you v/ill gain more credit. 

Above all, avoid any effort to monopo- 
lize the conversation. It is presumptuous 
and offensive in any person to imagine that 
his or her words alone are of interest, and 
impolite to rob others of the opportunity to 
speak. This is a common fault in fluent 
talkers, who are, besides, often so interested 
in what they wish to say as to be plainly 
inattentive to what others are saying. 

Personal allusions or flattering remarks 
are often in very bad taste. Words spoken 
in jest may be taken in earnest, and should be 
guarded against unless you are with intimate 
friends, who will not be likely to put a false 
construction on your words. If you intend 
a jest, you are wasting j^our effort if your 
point cannot be seen. 



157 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Puns and slang terms should, as a rule, 
be avoided. They at times fit in neatly, but 
a habit of indulging in them is a bad one. 
It must be remembered that there is a slang 
of the mansion as well as of the hovel, of 
the drawing-room as of the street. The 
technical terms of professions or trades have 
occasionally the effect of slang in general 
society, and simple, plain language should 
always be used in preference. It is not al- 
ways advisable to bring the phrases of the 
office or the factory into social circles. 

Express yourself simply and clearly. 
Avoid all attempts at elegance or pompos- 
ity. Use the easiest and plainest language 
you can, and stop speaking when you have 
said what you desired. " Brevity is the 
soul of wit," therefore "speak little, but 
speak well, if you would be thought a per- 
son of good sense." 

Other Rules Worth Observing. 

Should a person enter the room in which 
you are conversing, and the conversation be 
continued after his arrival, it is only courte- 
ous to acquaint him with the nature of the 
subject to which it relates, and to give him 
an idea of what has passed. 

Be cautious in relating anecdotes. Un- 
less you can tell a story with ease and 
effect, it is better not to attempt it, and, 
above all, do not mimic the peculiarities, 
infirmities, or short-comings of others in 
general society. You may give offense to 
some one present who is a friend of the per- 
son caricatured, and in any case such a pro- 
ceeding is not commendable. 

Do not speak of what passes in a house 
that you are visiting. To do so may often 
give great offence. 

You need not tell all the truth unless to 
those who have a right to know it all. But 
let all you tell be the truth. 

Do not offer advice unless you know it 
will be followed, and carefully beware how 
you advise an angry or an opinionated person. 
As a rule, advice not asked is not welcomed. 

Be cautious as to asking questions. The 
reply may be very embarrassing to the per- 
son of whom the question is asked. 

Do not volunteer information, especially 
in public ; but be very sure you are correct 
in what you state as facts. i 

15 



Do not sit dumb in company, but bear 
your share in the general conversation. Do 
this with modesty and self-possession, neither 
thrusting yourself forward, nor hesitating 
where you should speak. It is better to be 
a good listener than a good talker, yet it is 
a duty to take your part in entertaining. 

It is not necessary to express j^our opin- 
ions upon all subjects ; but if you give 
utterance to them, do so fearlessly, frankly, 
and with courteous regard for the opinions 
of others. The greater your learning, the 
more modest should be your manner of 
expressing it. 

A Winning Manner. 

Another important element of social de- 
portment is a graceful and easy bearing, and 
that softness and amiability of manner which 
is so engaging in our intercourse with the 
world. Such a manner is more easily felt 
than described . It is a compound of several 
elements of character and conduct ; not a 
servility of demeanor, but an affability and 
courtesy in speech and expression ; and this, 
whether or not you agree with the person or 
persons with whom you are conversing. 

This should be particularly considered 
when we are obliged to refuse a favor asked 
of us, or to say what cannot be very agree- 
able to the person to whom we say it. If 
we have a bitter pill to administer, we should 
at least seek to sweeten it with courtesy and 
kindness. Yet this softness of manner will 
sink into a mean and timid complaisance, 
or insincere affectation, if not supported 
by firmness and dignity of character; and 
one should, while cultivating courtesy, be 
careful to avoid insincerity or fear of truth- 
ful expression. To be winning at the 
expense of truth and honesty is to convert a 
virtue into a fault. 

Genuine easy manners result from a con- 
stant attention to the relation of persons and 
things, times and places. When we con- 
verse with one much superior to us in 
station or in the world's appreciation , we 
should seek to be as easy and unembarressed 
as with our equals, avoiding sedulously any 
show of servility or flattery, yet indicating 
in word, look and action, the greatest 
respect. In the society of our equals greater 
ease and liberty are allowable ; but they, too, 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



have their proper limitations. There is 
a social respect in everj'^ case necessary, and 
though our language may have a greater 
degree of latitude among friends and equals, 
its freedom should never be unbounded. It 
is always safer to say too little than too much . 
An engaging ease of carriage and behavior 
widely differs from negligence and inatten- 
tion, and by no means implies that one is 
justified in consulting only his own pleasure 
in society ; it only means that he should not 
be formal or embarrassed, disconcerted or 
diflSdent. It need only be said that the 
thing it is correct to do should be done with 
ease and ability ; the improper thing should 
not be done at all. 

In mixed companies difierent ages and 
sexes should be differently addressed. Al- 
though it is our duty to be respectful to all ; 
old age particularly requires to be treated 
with a degree of deference and regard. It 
is a good general rule to accustom ourselves 
to have a kindly feeling towards every thing 
connected with our fellows, and when this 
is the case, we shall seldom err in the appli- 
cation. The inward feeling will appear in 
the outward conduct. 

Principles of Politeness. 

Another important point in decorum is, 
not to force upon others our own present 
humor or passing sentiment, but to observe 
and adopt theirs. If for the moment we are 
impressed with some strong feeling or in a 
humor out of tone with that of the com- 
pany, we should either restrain ourselves, 
keep silent, or confine our conversation to 
those who are most likely to be in sympathy 
with our frame of mind. Peremptoriness 
and conceit, especially in young people, is 
contrary to good breeding : they should 
seldom seem to dissent, and always use 
some softening mitigating expression. 

There is a decorum also with regard to 
people of the lowest degree ; a gentleman 
observes it with his coachman, and even 
indeed with the beggar in the street. He 
considers them as objects of compassion, not 
of insult ; he speaks to neither in a harsh 
tone, but corrects the one gently, and re- 
fuses the other with humanity. 

Politeness is one of those social virtues 
which we never estimate rightly but from 



the inconvenience of its loss. Though per- 
haps not distinctly perceived when present, 
its absence is strongly indicated. The dif- 
ference between a polite person and one who 
is impolite is very marked, yet those who do 
not possess good breeding rarely understand 
its importance and worth. But as sickness 
shows us the value of health, so a little 
familiarity with those who do not trouble 
themselves to contribute to the gratification 
of others, but regulate their behavior merely 
by their own will, will soon make evident the 
necessity of established modes and formali- 
ties to the happiness and quiet of common 
life. 

Wisdom and virtue are by no means suf- 
ficient, without the supplemental laws of 
good breeding, to secure freedom of manners 
from degenerating into rudeness, or prevent 
self-esteem from developing into insolence. 
Incivility and neglect of proper social ob- 
servances do not necessarily yield remorse 
of conscience or reproach from reason in 
those who have not been taught to consider 
the feelings of others as well as their own. 
Yet genuine politeness always gives ease 
and pleasure, while its opposite is likely to 
impart pain or disgust. The power of 
pleasing must in great part be conferred by 
nature, though in a considerable measure it 
may be cultivated. But though it be the 
privilege of the few to charm and shine in 
society, yet all may hope, by the cultivation 
of good breeding and polite manners, to 
make themselves agreeable to their asso- 
ciates, though they should have no claim to 
higher distinction. 

The axiom from which flows all the for- 
malities of cultivated society is : " Let no 
man give preference to himself." This is a 
comprehensive rule, and it is difficult to 
imagine an incivility unless it is in some 
measure broken. 

Good Breeding. 

Yet there are everywhere particular cere- 
monial requisites of good breeding, often of 
local application, which, being arbitrary or 
accidental, can be learned only by residence 
and observation. Among these are forms of 
salutation, gradations of reverence, and 
various rules of place and precedence. Yef 
these may be violated without giving offence 



159 



8 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



by one who is evidently a stranger to them, 
and when it is apparent that neither malice 
nor pi ide had a share in their non-observ- 
ance. And however rigidly these and othtr 
rules of behavior be observed, they can 
never condone insolence or selfishness. 
True courtesy is that which flows from the 
heart, not that which is worn only on the 
surface. 

Real good breeding is not always to be 
found among those who spend their time in 
visiting, in frequenting public entertain- 
ments, in studying ceremonial rules, and in 
keeping in pace with the changes of fash- 
ionable regulations. Such people may know 
what fashion demands in acts of deportment 
and ceremony, but they too often confine 
themselves to the exterior and unessential 
elements of civility, and are much too apt to 
consider their own gratification as of more 
value than the pleasure of others. 

The most certain way to give any man 
pleasure is to persuade him that you receive 
pleasure from him, to encourage him to 
freedom and confidence, and to avoid any 
such appearance of superiority as may over- 
bear and depress him. We see many who, 
by this art alone, spend their days in the 
midst of caresses, invitations, and civilities ; 
and, without any extraordinary qualities or 
attainments, are the universal favorites of 
both sexes. 

In assemblies and places of public resort 
it is frequently observed that at the entrance 
of some particular person every face bright- 
ens with gladness, and every hand is ex- 
tended in salutation. Yet, often, if you 
follow this favorite beyond the first exchange 
of civilities, you will find him of only 
ordinary abilities, and welcome to the com- 
pany simply as one by whom all conceive 
themselves to be admired, and with whom 
any one is at liberty to amuse himself when 
he can find no other auditor or companion. 
He can place all at ease if he will hear a 
jest without criticism, and a narrative with- 
out contradiction, laugh at every wit, and 
yield to every disputer. 

All are at some hour or another fond of 
companions whom they can entertain upon 
easy terms, and who will relieve them from 
solitude, without requiring them to guard 
their speech with vigilance and caution. 

1 60 



We are most inclined to love when we have 
nothing to fear, and he that encourages us 
to please ourselves, will not be long without 
preference in our affection to those whose 
learning holds us at a distance, or whose wit 
calls all attention from us, and leaves us 
without importance and without regard. All 
men dislike to be placed in such unpleasant 
contrast, even though they cannot bui 
admire the abilities which they are incapable 
of rivalling or even unable to imitate. 

The Demeanor of a Lady. 

An agreeable, modest, and dignified 
bearing is not only one of the most desir- 
able requisites of a young woman, but her 
best warrant to claim the title of lady. 
Whatever may be the transient demand of 
fashion , whatever the passing rule of custom , 
that which is amiable, graceful and true in 
taste will always please the majority of man- 
kind. A young lady, if she have any true 
claim to the title, should not require to have 
allowances made for her. If properly 
trained, and blessed with a just conception 
of social requisites, her address will be 
gentle and polite, her manner courteous, and 
she will need but an opportunity for observ- 
ation to gain tho.'^e minor graces and habits 
which the local customs of society may 
demand. The general rules of social ob- 
servance are world-wide in their application, 
and familiarity with them flows almost 
inevitably from good sense and a good dis- 
position . 

On being introduced to a stranger, there 
is no insincerity in the display of a degree 
of pleasure. The well -trained girl will 
acknowledge the introduction to an elder 
person with a respectful bow and a deferen- 
tial manner. To one of her own age she 
will strive to make herself agreeable even 
if not particularly attracted towards the per- 
son introduced . It is the excess of impolite- 
ness to let it be seen that she does not care 
for her new acquaintance, to look over her 
dress at once, as if taking an inventor}^ of it, 
to wear a supercilious manner, or to appear 
hurried, as if anxious to get away at the 
first break in the conversation. Politeness 
demands that she should show a degree of 
pleasure in the introduction, and courtesy, 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



that she should avoid any action likely to 
give pain or offence. 

Incivilities to be Avoided. 

Such suggesti9ns are hardly necessary. 
The instinct of a true lady will teach her to 
observe these basic rules of courtesy. Yet 
there is a heedlessness in many of the young, 
and an unacknowledged selfishness, which 
often lead to incivilities of which they are 
themselves unaware. 

In conversation volubility is to be 
avoided. The words should be gently 
spoken, and the voice loud enough to be 
heard easily, but still with a degree of 
repression, an undertone below the full 
powers of the voice. Affectation especially 
should be avoided. It was once in fashion, 
but was always strained and unnatural, and, 
fortunately, has long ceased to be the mode. 
Like many peculiarities of bygone times, 
one meets with it now only in vulgar society. 
The well-bred sedulously avoid affected 
tricks of speech. 

The manner of using the eyes also calls 
for regulation. The open stare and the 
shy withdrawal of the eyes are alike to be 
avoided. They should be raised quietly 
and with interest to those of the speaker, 
and only withdrawn when his remarks are 
concluded. This, of course, is not neces- 
sary if he is speaking to a number, but even 
then the eyes should not indicate inatten- 
tion, and should be more or less steadily 
fixed on the speaker's face. 

There is, in addition, a certain dignity 
of demeanor necessary to make even the 
most superior persons respected. This dig- 
nity cannot readily be taught ; it can hardly 
be assumed ; it must flow in great measure 
from intrinsic qualities, though even the 
finest natural powers may lose their in- 
fluence through carelessness, and may be 
enhanced by attention and training. This 
dignity is distinct from pretension, which 
yields disgust rather than respect. A true 
lady will be equal to every occasion, and at 
home in all grades of society. Her polite- 
ness, her equanimity, her presence of mind, 
should be in evidence alike in the court and 
in the cottage. 

Private vexations should never be al- 
lowed to affect a lady's manners, either at 

i6 



home or elsewhere. If not in condition fo'i" 
society, she should refrain from entering it; 
remembering that every one is expected and 
should hold herself bound to add something 
to the general sum of enjoyment. The self- 
control required in good society is often 
beneficial alike to the temper and the 
spirits. 

Many a plain woman has won and kept 
the affection of others merely by being al- 
ways gentle and womanly in manner. To 
gain an empire over the affections there 
must be somewhat of sentiment or sym- 
pathy in the nature of a woman. The loud, 
boastful, positive young lady will never be 
remembered with a soft interest, unless there 
be, perchance, some gentle strain in her that 
redeems her from her assumed hardness. 

Flirtation. 

With regard to flirtation, it is difficult to 
draw a limit where the predilection of the 
moment softens into a more tender and 
serious feeling, and flirtation sobers into an 
earnest form of devoted attention. 

We all dread for our daughters hasty 
and questionable attachments ; but it must 
not be supposed that long-practiced flirta- 
tions are without their evil effects on the 
character and manners. They excite and 
amuse, but they also exhaust the spirit. 
They expose women to censure and mis- 
construction, and tend to destroy the charm 
of manners and the simplicity of the heart. 
The coquette should remember that, with 
every successive flirtation, one charm after 
another disappears, like the petals from a 
fading rose, until all the delicioi^teness of a 
fresh and pure character is lost. On all 
these points a woman should take a high 
tone in the beginning of her life. She will 
learn, as time goes on, how far she may 
consistently lower it into an easier and 
more familiar tone of social intercourse. 

The bearing of married women should 
so far differ from that of the unmarried thai 
there should be greater quietness and dig- 
nity ; a more close adherence to forms ; 
and an abandonment of the admiration 
which has been received before marriage. 
All flirtation, however it may be counte- 
nanced by the existing custom of society, 
should be decisively put aside. There is, 



lO 



book: of etiquette 



however, no reason that conversation should 
be less lively, or society less agreeable. 

If a young married woman wishes to be 
respected, and therefore happy in life, there 
should be a quiet propriety of manner, a 
dignity towards the male sex, which cannot 
be mistaken in her for prudery, since it is 
consistent with her position and her ties. 
She should change her tone, if that has been 
unrefined ; she should not put herself on a 
level with young unmarried women of her 
own age, but should influence and even lead 
her youthful acquaintance into that style of 
behavior which is much esteemed by men of 
good taste. 

Demeanor of a Qentleman. 

One must be a gentleman before he can 
act the gentleman . To put on a semblance 
of what we do not possess is simply to ex- 
pose ourselves to the world, which will not 
be slow in discovering the false show, and 
ridiculing or despising the hypocrisy. May 
good breeding be acquired as an art ? Yes, 
in a measure, so far as dress, ceremonial de- 
portment, and outward display of gentility 
go. One may ape the gentleman, even 
while not being the gentleman. Yet there 
is a something beyond this, visible in every 
word and tone, which makes the true gen- 
tleman, and to gain which one must train 
his heart as well as his manners. 

In the well-chosen words of Ruskin : 
"A gentleman's first characteristic is that 
fineness of structure in the body which ren- 
ders it capable of the most delicate sensa- 
tion, and of that structure in the mind which 
renders it capable of the most delicate sym- 
pathies — one may say, simply, ' fineness of 
nature.' This is, of course, compatible 
with heroic bodily strength and mental 
firmness ; in fact, heroic strength is not 
conceivable without such delicacy. Ele- 
phantine strength may drive its way through 
a forest, and feel no touch of the boughs ; 
but the white skin of Homer's Atrides 
would have felt a bent rose-leaf, yet subdue 
its feelings in glow of battle, and behave 
itself like iron. I do not mean to call an 
elephant a vulgar animal ; but if you think 
about him carefully, you will find that his 
non-vulgarity consists in such gentleness as 
is possible to elephantine nature ; not in his 



insensitive hide, nor in his clumsy foot, but 
in the way he will lift his foot if a child lies 
in his path ; and in his sensitive trunk, and 
still more sensitive mind, and capability of 
pique on points of honor. Hence it will 
follow, that one of the probable signs of 
high breeding in men generally will be their 
kindness and mercifulness ; these always 
indicating more or less firmness of make in 
the mind." 

What Constitutes Gentlemanly Manners. 

The manners of a gentleman are the 
index of his soul. His speech is innocent, 
because it springs from a pure spirit. His 
thoughts are direct, because they are the ex- 
ponents of upright actions. His bearing is 
gentle because it arises from gentle impulses 
and kindliness of heart. Pretentious man- 
ners^ are alien to the nature of the true gen- 
tleman. He avoids instead of exacting 
homage. Ceremonies do not attract him. 
He is as ready to do kindly acts as to say 
civil things. He regulates his hospitality 
by his means, but graces it with heartiness 
and sincerity of welcome. He chooses his 
friends for qualities akin to his own, his 
servants for truthfulness and honesty, his 
occupations for their elevating tendency or 
their power of giving aid or enjoyment to 
others. In a word, a good heart is at the 
bottom of all his acts, and a kindly spirit 
is the fountain from which all his thoughts 
arise. In this consideration it will not 
be amiss to quote from Ward McAllister the 
following apposite passage : * ' The value of 
a pleasant manner it is impossible to 
estimate. It is like sunshine, it gladdens ; 
you feel it, and are at once attracted to the 
person without knowing why. When you 
entertain, do it in an easy, natural way, as M" 
it was an every- day occurrence, not the event 
of your life ; but do it well. Learn how to 
do it ; never be ashamed to learn. The 
American people have a greater power of 
' catching hold ' and adapting themselves to 
new surroundings than any other people in 
the world. . 

" If women should cultivate pleasant 
manners, should not men do the same? 
Are not manners as important to men as to 
women ? The word ' gentleman ' may have 
its derivation from gentle descent, but my 



162 



noOK OF ETIQUETTE 



ii 



understanding of a gentleman has always 
been that he is a person free from arrogance 
and anything like self-assertion ; consider- 
ate of the feelings of others ; so satisfied 
and secure in his own position that he is 
always unpretentious, feeling he could not 
do an ungentlemanly act ; as courteous and 
kind in manner to his inferiors as to his 
equals. The best-bred men I have ever met 
have always been the least pretentious. 
Natural and simple in manner, modest in 
apparel, never wearing anything voyant or 
conspicuous ; but always so well dressed 
that you could never discover what made 
them so, — the good, quiet taste of the whole 
producing the result. 

' ' Here all men are more or less in busi- 
ness. We hardly have a class who are not. 
They are, of necessity, daily brought into 
contact with all sorts and conditions of men, 
and in self-defense oftentimes have to acquire 
an abrupt, a brusque manner of address, 
which, as a rule, they generally leave in 
their offices when they quit them. If they 
do not, they certainly should. When such 
rough manners become by practice a second 
nature, they unfit one to go into society. 
It pays well for young and old to cultivate 
politeness and courtesy. Nothing is gained 
by trying roughly to elbow yourself into 
society, and push your way through into the 
inner circle ; for when such a one has 
reached it, he will find the atmosphere un- 
congenial, and be only too glad to escape 
from it." 

The Demands of Etiquette. 

Etiquette makes many demands upon a 
man, demands which cannot safely be set 
aside, if he wishes to preserve the high title 
of gentleman . It is his duty to answer let- 
ters, notes, and invitations without delay. 
He must dress neatly ; there is no need that 
he should dress lavishly. To dress well is 
to dress appropriately. He must be defer- 
ential to the old and courteous to the young, 
and yield place and precedence to women — 
the older in preference. 

If he be afflicted with physical or mental 
ailments, let him bear them as philosophi- 
cally as possible, and, at all events, avoid 
speaking of them in company. If he be 
placed under obligation, he should not let it 



remain any longer than he can help — if it be 
of a kind that can be returned. 

It is not the large, but the little, things 
that often test and try a man's character and 
disposition. These make up the bulk of 
existence. We are rarely called upon to 
act the hero ; we are daily required > to act 
the gentleman. 

" Among these trifles light as air," says 
a recent writer on etiquette, " is the ever - 
recurrent and not a little vexing question of 
the payment of fares in a car or omnibus by 
an acquaintance, and the adjustment of such 
matters." 

In the opinion of this writer, there is 
only one rule about paying a lady's fare 
under such circumstances, and that is, 
" Don't offer to do it," unless called upon 
to do so through trouble on her part in 
making change or other exigency. 

Women do not altogether like to be put 
under an obligation of this kind ; some do 
not like it at all, feeling that it is not easy 
to repay. If she seeks to return the sum, 
it should be accepted without hesitation. 
There is no honor gained by attempting to 
appear magnanimous about a trifle. 

Etiquette of Travel. 

As regards offering a seat in a street car, 
that is a matter which should be governed 
by circumstances. There is no call for an 
oldish or tired man to give up his seat to a 
young woman, who is evidently better able 
to stand than himself. For a young man 
to give up his seat is a different matter, but 
in doing so preference should not be given 
to youth and beauty, as is too often the 
rule. True courtesy demands that the seat 
should be offered to the woman evidently 
least able to stand, no matter whether she 
be well or ill dressed, handsome or the op- 
posite, rich or poor. 

These instances are offered simply as 
examples of those small occasions for con- 
sideration and courteous demeanor which 
are of daily occurrence, and which are apt 
to be truer tests of character than many of 
the greater exigencies of life. There is a 
streak of selfishness, or, at the least, of self- 
indulgence, in us all to whose counsel it is 
dangerous to listen, if we desire to wear at 
least the outer aspect of a gentleman. The 
63 



12 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



tuan who is a gentleman by nature needs no 
suggestions on these small points ; instinct 
will tell him how to act. Yet in all cases 
some training in the customs and observ- 
ances of good society is of utility. The 



readiness to do the right thing is not all 
there is to consider. A knowledge of what 
is the right thing to do in the daily exigen- 
cies of life is of equal importance to all. 



II. THE ART OF DRESS 



The fashion of attire is a question of the 
passing day ; its aesthetics is a question of 
the ages. Persons of taste will avoid the 
ridiculous, whatever may be the demands of 
fashion, yet will not vary so far from the 
prevailing custom in dress as to expose 
themselves to ridicule from singularity. 

Dress has in it some of the essentials of 
the fine arts , and to be well dressed requires 
other requisites than the possession of wealth 
and a good figure. Good taste and refine- 
ment stand first ; all other essentials come 
second. To dress well, the qualities of 
color, harmony, and contrast need to be 
observed, and a trained and artistic eye is 
as essential as a sensible and well-balanced 
mind. Dress, to be in good taste, by no 
means needs to be costly. Fit, proportion, 
and harmony in shade and color are the ob- 
jects to be observed, and while there should 
be a reasonable consideration of the dictates 
of fashion, no person of sense will follow 
fashion blindly, to the neglect of the essen- 
tials of adaptation to figure, face, and occu- 
pation. 

A Well=Dressed Woman. 

Some one says that " as a work of art a 
veil-dressed woman is a study." The toil- 
ette of such a person is always well-chosen, 
with consideration of its purpose, and is 
always adapted to the situation, whether it 
be breakfast-room or ball-room, promenade 
or reception. If she loves bright colors, and 
they agree with her complexion, they will 
be as harmoniously arranged as the tints of 
an artist. If subdued colors are demanded, 
she will not let any desire for display lead 
her into the use of garish tints. If she is 
young, her dress will be youthful ; if she is 
old, it will avoid showiness. She will 
always rather follow than lead the prevailing 
fashion, and in no event will permit the 
costume of the day to lead her into violation 
of good taste and common sense 



The golden rule in dress is to avoid 
extremes. To afiect peculiarities of costume 
shows a lack of good taste, while it is not 
less unwise to follow fashions which are 
unbecoming to the special person. Ladies 
who«are neither very young nor very attrac- 
tive in appearance will do best to wear 
quiet colors and simple styles ; while those 
who are not rich can always appear taste- 
fully dressed, if they exercise care in the 
choice, and display skill and judgment in 
the arrangement of materials. A dress- 
maker of good taste is an essential to good 
dressing. The dressmaker is a woman's 
good or evil genius, and may do much to 
make or mar her position in social circles. 

Dress for Various Occasions. 

Morning dress should be faultless in its 
way. For young ladies, whether married 
or single, there is no prettier summer morn- 
ing wear than white or very light dresses of 
washing materials . Yet those must be always 
fresh and clean, and the collars and cuffs irre- 
proachable. For morning wear simplicity in 
attire is imperative. Silk should not be worn. 
Cotton and woolen are the proper materials . 

The walking-dress should be quiet. A 
rich or showy dress in the street is apt to 
attract more attention than is desirable or 
always agreeable. For the carriage, how- 
ever, a lady may dress as elegantly as she 
wishes. 

Elderly ladies should dress as richly as 
their means permit. A thin old lady may 
wear delicate colors, while one of stout 
person or florid complexion will look best 
in black or dark grey. But for young 
and old alike the complexion and figure 
have much to do with determining the suit- 
able colors. Rich colors harmonize well 
with brunette complexions, but for blondes 
and those of delicate tints of face the desir- 
able colors to be worn are those of more 
delicate hue. 
64 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



13 



At dinner parties, unless they be small 
and familiar in kind, only the fullest dress 
is appropriate. But at unceremonious din- 
ners demi-toilette can be worn, and high 
dresses if the material be sufficiently rich. 
Real flowers may be worn at dinner parties, 
but it is better to wear artificial ones at balls, 
since the heat and dancing are apt to cause 
real flowers to droop and shed their petals. 

Gloves, shoes, and boots must always be 
faultless. Gloves cannot be too light for the 
carriage, or too dark for the streets. A 
woman with ill-fitting gloves lacks one of the 
essentials of suitable dress. It may be 
remarked, by the way, that perfumes should 
be used only in the evening, and with the 
strictest moderation, and that perfumes to 
be tolerable must be of the most delicate 
kind. 

There has never been a more telling and 
sensible criticism than that made by Dr. 
Johnson on a lady's dress. " I am sure she 
was well dressed," he said, ."for I cannot 
remember what she had on." 

Suitability of Apparel. 

Suit your dresses to the occasions upon 
which they are to be used. In the morning, 
at home, a lady may wear i loose, flowing 
dress, made high in the neck, with a belt at 
the waist, and with loose sleeves fastened at 
the wrist. On the street a walking-costume 
should be worn, and the dress should clear 
the ground. There is nothing more disgust- 
ing than to see a rich dress sweeping up the 
dirt and filth of the street. 

Fashion seems to decree this at the 
present time, with the ungraceful result of 
seeing nine women out of ten awkwardly 
holding up their skirts. The tenth sensibly 
ignores fashion in favor of comfort. 

The shoes for the street should be high, 
warm, and easy to the feet, with a low, 
broad heel, and should be always neatly 
blackened. For ordinary street wear a lady 
may use either a hat or a bonnet. This is 
a matter of taste. In the dress of ladies 
great latitude is allowed ; but the aim of all 
who aspire to be well dressed should be sim- 
plicity and taste, the character of the occasion 
being always carefully considered . lyatitude 
or great variety in dress is no longer thought 
original, and startling innovations are dan- 



gerous experiments. With artistic taste 
they may prove a success, but are much 
more likely to be a failure. 

It is important that a lady should 
always dress neatly at home. She is then 
ready to receive a morning caller without 
having to change her dress. She should 
change her dress for the evening. Some 
neat and dainty costume should be worn, 
according to her taste, for it is in the even- 
ing that she is thrown most with the male 
members of her family, and is most likely 
to have visitors. In making evening calls 
upon her friends, a lady should wear a hood, 
or some light head-wrap easily laid aside. 
A bonnet should always be removed at the 
commencement of such a visit. 

Public Occasions. 

The fashion of the time must govern tht 
evening dress for public occasions. Full 
dress must always be worn, but it is impos- 
sible to give any fixed rule regarding it, ir 
view of the frequent changes in the demands 
of fashion. A competent dressmaker, or 
the fashion publications of the time, will give 
the necessary information. In Europe, the 
evening dress requires the exposure of the 
arms and neck ; but in this country the 
more sensible plan of covering these parts 
of the body is widely the fashion, and 
should be observed except on very special 
occasions. 

The dress for balls and soirees should be 
of the richest within the lady's means. Yet 
a certain degree of repression is important, 
if one would avoid seeming overdressed. 
White kid gloves and white satin or kid 
boots are most suitable to a ball dress. If 
the overdress is of black lace, black satin 
shoes are worn. Hints and directions, how- 
ever, are of little need to ladies for occasions 
of this kind. Example and experience, 
either of themselves or their friends, will 
prevent them from going far wrong. 

The richest full dress should be worn at 
the opera. The head should be bare, and 
dressed in the most becoming style. Jewelry 
may be worn, according to taste, as there is 
no place where it shows to better advantage. 
A light or brilliant colored opera cloak will 
add greatly to the lady's appearance and 
Comfort. Gloves of white, or delicately 



H 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



tinted, kid only are to be worn. The ordi- 
nary walking-dress, however, is suitable for 
other places of amusement. A rich and 
elegant shawl may be worn, as it can be 
thrown off when uncomfortable. The sensi- 
ble fashion is now making its way to remove 
the hat at theatres and lectures, out of due 
regard for those whose view of the stage 
may be obstructed. This being the case, 
there is no need to spoil the hair by wearing 
hat or bonnet on the way thither. 

Plain and simple dress should be worn 
for church, with very little jewelr)^ The 
costume should be of quiet colors. It is a 
mark, of bad taste for ladies to attend church 
elaborately or conspicuously dressed. It 
shows a disregard for the solemnity of the 
sanctuary, and is calculated to draw off the 
attentions of others from the duties of the 
place. 

Jewelry. 

Much display of jewelry is out of place 
for young ladies, and the kind of jewelry to 
be worn demands as careful consideration 
IS that of the dress itself. Diamonds, pearls, 
and transparent precious stones generally 
belong to evening costume, and are always 
in taste at night ; but they should not be 
worn in the earlier parts of the day. In 
the morning, indeed, only a simple ring or 
two are admissible, with, perhaps, a gold 
brooch, and a watch and chain. 

As regards cost of jewelry, it is by no 
means the best criterion of taste. A simple 
and inexpensive jewel may occasionally 
have the effect of an exquisite work of art, 
while a large and showy brilliant may give 
the impression of vulgar display or showy 
overdress. To wear much jewelry in the 
streets is in very bad taste, while in large 
cities it may subject the wearer to danger 
from robbery. 

In traveling it is inadvisable to make a 
display of jewelry. It is particularly unde- 
sirable if a lady is traveling alone, for the 
reason just given. 

Traveling Dress. 

Traveling costume should be simple in 
style and quiet in color, materials that will 
not show dirt being preferable. A water- 
proof cloak is a very desirable addition, as 



it may be at any time suddenly needed. In 
summer travel a long linen duster, belted at 
the waist, should be worn over the dress. 

For the country or sea-side, simple and 
inexpensive dresses should be provided for 
ordinary wear. The bonnet should give 
place to a hat with a brim sufficiently wide 
to shield the face and neck from the sun. 

Bathing dresses should be made of blue 
or gray flannel. The skirt should come 
down to the ankles, and the sleeves should 
be long. An oil silk or India-rubber cap, 
fitting tightly around the head, will protect 
the hair from the salt water. 

It is impossible to prescribe an exact 
style or mode of dress for ladies in all places 
and on all occasions. Fashion will change, 
and, it must be confessed, in the matter of 
female costume, its changes have often been 
for the better. 

In regard to "overdressing," it is not 
easy to draw a line, customs in different 
localities varying so much that what is per- 
missible in one place might be utterly out of 
place in another. The usual thing for win- 
ter dress is a stuff dress — a " cloth suit," it 
is usually called — worn with a fancy bodice. 
For elderly women, with money enough to 
afford it, costumes of silk, with elaborate 
trimming, are often worn. With toilettes 
of this kind the custom of wearing lace is 
on the increase ; but these are matters which 
the dressmaker is most competent to decide 
upon at any fixed period. As a general 
rule, however, loud colors should be avoided, 
and it is best never to risk extremes of cos- 
tume, whether in or out of the line of fash- 
ion, if one wishes to escape the verdict of 
vulgarity. 

A WelUDressed Man. 

Buffon has remarked that a man's 
clothes are a part of himself, and enter into 
our conception of his character. And cer- 
tainly no man who is experienced in the 
ways of the world and has any regard for 
social opinion can consider the question of 
dress as unimportant. We may excuse a 
man who dresses very negligently, but we 
rarely hold him in any high regard. Our 
conception of the interior qualities of a per- 
son is influenced, more than we are ordi- 
narily aware, by his exterior appearance. 
66 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



15 



Walpole truly says : ' ' We must speak to 
the eyes, if we wish to affect the mind." 

In paying a visit, or in mingling in good 
society, it is complimentary to our hosts to 
be well dressed, and shows disregard of 
their wishes to be slovenly in attire. Even 
in a casual meeting, or in cases where the 
costume is likely to be of minor considera- 
tion, neat and careful dressing is very likely 
to be of advantage. A negligent attire in- 
dicates that a man is heedless of the opin- 
ions of others, and indifferent to their good 
will or respect. 

A. careful and neat attire, on the con- 
trary, indicates a man who has a regard for 
himself and for the sentiments of others, one 
who finds pleasure in social intercourse, and 
loves to mingle in the society of his fellows. 
It is a kind of general offer of acquaintance, 
and proves a willingness to be accosted. 
Dress is the livery of good society, and he 
who would advance in the profession of 
pleasing must pay due regard to his outward 
aspect. 

Dress is also significant of inner feeling, 
and expresses qualities of mind which are 
likely to affect the outward conduct. That 
courtier was not far astray who dated the 
beginning of the French Revolution from 
the day when a nobleman appeared at Ver- 
sailles without buckles on his shoes. 

Fashion is called a despot ; but if men 
are willing to be its slaves, we cannot, and 
ought not, to upbraid fashion. In truth, 
the man who rebels against fashion is often 
more open to the imputation of vanity than 
he who obeys it, because he makes himself 
conspicuous, and practically announces that 
he is wiser than his kind. Affectation is 
always the essence of vulgarity. Between 
the two it is left to the man of sense and 
modesty to follow fashion only so far as not 
to make himself peculiar by opposing it, and 
in whatever he does or whatever he wears to 
let good taste, common sense, and a proper 
regard for the opinion of his fellows be the 
guides of his conduct. 

A prime requisite in dress is its sim- 
plicity, with which may be coupled harmony 
of color. This simplicity is the only dis- 
tinction which a man of taste should aspire 
to in the matter of dress, for simplicity in 
appearance must proceed from a nicety in 



167 



reality. One should not be simply ill- 
dressed, but simply well-dressed. 

All extravagance, all over display, and 
all profusion must be avoided. The colors, 
in the first place, must harmonize both with 
our complexion and with one another ; per- 
haps most of all, with the color of our hair. 
All bright colors should be avoided, even in 
gloves and neck-ties. The deeper colors 
are, somehow or other, more manly, and 
are certainly less striking. The same sim- 
plicity should be studied in the avoidance of 
ornamentation. 

Appropriate Costume. 

You should dress according to your 
occupation and means. If you are a sales- 
man, you would not think it appropriate to 
appear in the regulation gc:rb of a bishop. 
Good sense and good taste form the first 
rule, and about the only one to be consid- 
ered. 

In the shifting climate of our country, 
gentlemen of late years have very sensibly 
adopted the mode of dressing especially for 
comfort. They have to brave all kinds of 
weather, sometimes wade through mud and 
slush, sometimes face a summer shower or 
cyclone, and they find it more essential to 
be protected against these climatic changes 
than to appear in elegant costume. 

Their dress does not undergo so many 
modifications as that of ladies, and it is 
comparatively easy for them to wear ap- 
parel that will be simple and serviceable, 
and at the same time in good taste. 

There is much less to be said about the 
dress of men than of ;A;^omen, as it is not 
subject to such extreme changes or suscep- 
tible of such great diversity in color, cut, 
and material. For the day the business 
suit is the usual costume, black or dark in 
color, with shoes of black or tan leather, 
and a derby or a soft hat. Those who de- 
sire a reputation for dressing well will 
scarcely appear in a high hat and tan shoes 
together. 

Sack coats or cutaways can be worn 
with tweed or any rough cloth trousers and 
waistcoat, the weight and color being varied 
to fit the season. As evening approaches 
the sack coat and business suit should be 
replaced by a cutaway or frock coat. In 



l6 



BOOK OF ETIOUETTE 



the country rough tweed suits, fancy flan- 
nels and any kind of hat may be worn, 
unless the gentleman is going to some 
special social entertainment, when he should 
dress much as in the city. 

The Shirt Waist. 

In the summer of 1900 the shirt-waist, 
which was worn almost universally by 
women, was emulated by men, many of 
whom assumed, during business hours, un- 
starched colored shirts worn without vests, 
while a waist belt replaced the usual braces. 
Often the coat was discarded. The comfort 
of this attire during the heated term was so 
great that the " shirt-waist man" promises 
to become a recognized summer institution. 

As for evening dress, a considerable lati- 
tude of opinion concerning this prevails. 
During the warm season — from June to 
October — comfort demands much laxity in 



this respect. As evening dress is never seen 
in city streets without an overcoat, and as 
few care to swelter at the dictum of fashion, 
many men of sense content themselves with 
a neat ordinary dress. There is a variety of 
usage in this respect also at the theatre, and 
it is coming to be imperative to wear even- 
ing attire only at formal dinners or at cer- 
tain fashionable assemblages which make it 
a requisite. In general, except during the 
summer, it is a safe rule for the denizen of 
fashionable circles to change his dress every 
evening, so as to be prepared for dinner or 
any other formal occasion. But as the 
denizens of fashionable circles compose a 
limited section of the community, an island 
in the sea of the multitude who claim no 
such exclusive honor, evening dress, as a 
general rule, is kept for special occasions, 
and men at home consider comfort and con- 
venience far more than fashion. 



III. INTRODUCTIONS. 



The laws of society do not permit you 
to claim acquaintance with other persons 
unless you have been properly introduced, 
though in traveling this rule may often 
be reasonably omitted. Under ordinary 
circumstances care and discrimination 
should be exercised in making gentlemen 
acquainted with each other, and still greater 
heed is demanded in the introduction of 
ladies and gentlemen. It should always be 
understood in advance whether or not the 
lady is likely to desire the introduction. In 
no case should it be thrust upon her without 
regard to her objections. And it is not ad- 
visable to make the request within hearing 
of the party concerned, since this may put 
her in an awkward situation, if wishing to 
decline. 

Do not forget that, in introducing one 
person to another, you assume a social re- 
sponsibility for the person you introduce, 
and great care should be taken in giving 
this indorsement. It is possible for you to 
inflict a positive injury by introducing a 
man of objectionable character to a lady. If 
you are not well informed in respect to the 
reputation of the one for whom you are about 
to become responsible, pause and go no fur- 



[68 



ther. You should not be a party to the for- 
mation of any relations which may possibly 
have an injurious efiect. 

The same conditions hold good in the 
business world. An introduction carries 
with it some indorsement which may lead to 
business transactions involving great finan- 
cial risks. 

Rules of Introduction. 

In England, visitors meeting in the same 
house are expected to enter into conversa- 
tion, though no formal presentation has 
been made, and no previous acquaintance 
has existed. In the United States, how- 
ever, the fashion of introducing people who 
meet as strangers still continues, though in 
certain highly fashionable circles the English 
fashion is affected. It, perhaps, has its ad- 
vantages, in enabling visitors to converse 
freely without waiting for the formality of 
an introduction, and leaving them free not 
to know one another afterwards. But it 
has its disadvantages as well, especially 
in the case of shy and easily embarrassed 
people. 

The American rule has long been to 
introduce generally, and in early society in 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



17 



this country it was deemed necessary to 
make everybody in company acquainted, 
from a somewhat forced idea of the require- 
ments of hospitality. This wholesale cus- 
tom is no longer observed, and common 
sense prevails in this as in social customs 
generally. 

One should always show discretion in 
this observance, as in all the demands of 
society. It is not, for instance, advisable 
to interrupt a conversation for the purpose 
of making an introduction. The intention 
will wait, and even if it fails altogether >:o 
harm is usually done. Few persons will 
thank you for making them too conspicuous. 

Of the places where an introduction is 
not in order we may particularly instance a 
church. Here it would be quite improper, 
not only within the building, but even at 
its entrance. Nor is it necessary to intro- 
duce two persons at an entirely casual meet- 
ing — in a street car, for example, or if you 
happen to meet an acquaintance, whom your 
companion does not know, at some friend's 
door. Of course, if the chat should be ex- 
tended, or if you think it desirable that they 
should know one another, an introduction 
is perfectly admissible ; but it is in no sense 
incumbent upon you. 

One further remark in this connection 
may be made, in reference to the frequent 
failure to catch the name of the person intro- 
duced. This often causes a feeling of em- 
barrassment, and a somewhat awkward 
attempt to discover the missing name. ' ' I 
didn't quite catch the name,' is the most 
ordinary way out of the difficulty, but some- 
thing more original might well be attempted, 
as, "Pardon my inattention to Mr. C. I 
was so occupied with the honor offered me 
as to be deaf to the name" ; or, less effu- 
sively, "Will you kindly tell me again 
whom I have the favor of meeting ?' ' 

The trouble is worse when you imme- 
diately forget the name, and are lacking in 
this particular on your second meeting with 
the new acquaintance. It is a useful accom- 
plishment which all do not possess, that of re- 
membering names readily ; and to be obliged 
to make the worn-out admission, "Your 
face is perfectly familiar, but I have for- 
gotten your name," is an awkward way out 
of the difficulty. Better try and get through 
i8 K ■ 16 



the interview in a way to escape the need of 
using the name, and endeavor to learn it 
before another meeting is likely to take 
place. By repeating the name in acknowl- 
edging the introduction and fastening your 
attention thereto, it will not be difficult to 
remember the name. 

The Introducer's Formula. 

In introductions the common formula is : 
" Mrs. Blank, may I," or " allow me to pre- 
sent," or " introduce, Mr. Smith." 

Never reverse this order, and so intro- 
duce the lady to the gentleman. When the 
sexes are the same, present the person of 
the lesser to the one of the greater age or 
importance. 

Always mention the name in introducing 
members of your family. Say, " My father, 
Mr. Simpson," " My daughter, Miss Simp- 
son," or "Miss Kllen Simpson." Your 
wife should be introduced simply as " Mrs. 
Simpson." 

In introducing persons with titles, the 
title should always be distinctly mentioned. 
Thus, you should say, in presenting a clergy- 
man to a senator of the United States, 
" Senator A., permit me to introduce you to 
my friend, the Reverend Dr. W. Dr. W. is 
the rector of St. M. Church, Boston." 
Then turning to Dr. W., say, "Senator A. 
represents the State of M. in the United 
States Senate." 

Upon meeting strangers it is well to add 
some pleasant remark or suggest some inter- 
est in common between them. This will 
serve to put them at their ease and aid them 
to start a conversation . The party presented 
may simply say, "How do you do?" or 
' ' I am glad to know you, ' ' following it with 
such subject of talk as may occur to him. 

Introductions do not necessitate future 
mutual recognition, unless agreeable to the 
parties introduced. The ceremony is simply 
an opportunity offered for present acquain- 
tance, and can be ignored by one or both 
parties immediately after they leave the 
presence of the person who made the intro- 
duction. 

A gentleman should never bow to a lady 
when first meeting her after an introduction, 
until she gives him some sign of recognition, 
thus intimating her desire to continue the 



i8 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



acquaintance. A gentleman should always 
return the bow, even though he may not care 
for the acquaintance. 

Ladies and gentleman need not shake 
hands with each other when introduced. A 
bow is sufl&cient acknowledgement of the 
introduction. Persons of the same sex may 
or may not shake hands. In formal fashion- 
able circles the hostess alone shakes hands, 
but ordinarily it is quite in order to offer 
the hand when introduced. 

Persons meeting at the houses of friends 
when making morning calls need not be in- 
troduced to one another, and should not be 
unless there is good reason to believe that 
such introduction will be mutually agree- 
able. Nor is it proper for persons who have 
met in ihis manner, without introduction, to 
bow or express recognition otherwise should 
they again meet. 

A person making a visit to your house 
should be introduced to every caller. At 
an evening party it is the duty of the host or 
hostess to make their guests acquainted with 
one another. 

A gentleman should always promptly 
offer his services to a lady in any position of 
difficulty, whether he knows her or not. 
Her acceptance of his, services does not give 
him any claim upon her acquaintance, nor 
need she feel obliged to recognize him after- 
wards without a formal introduction. 

An introduction, however, gives one a 
claim upon the courtesy of another, whether 
the acquaintance be pleasant or the contrary. 
To ignore a person to whom you have been 
properly introduced is certainly an act of 
ill-breeding, and under certain circumstances 
becomes an act of insolence. 

Salutations. 

In meeting a friend upon the street, or in 
company, you should salute him cordially, 
but quietly and respectfully. A gentleman 
should always salute a lady by raising the 
hat and making a formal bow . In company , 
the bead being uncovered, the bow alone is 
your salutation ; but it should in either case, 
be a decided inclination of the head and 
body, not a mere nod. 

In this country, among ladies, kissing is 
a common mode of salutation, even on the 
Street. But indications are that this custom 



is less popular for hygienic reasons. Gen- 
tlemen generally shake hands, or in pass- 
ing each other bow, or make a courteous 
motion of the hand. Kven where you are 
not on good terms with a person it is cour- 
teous to bow to him. Should he fail to re- 
turn the bow the offence is his, and you have 
lost nothing by your politeness. 

The lady should bow first in meeting a 
gentleman on the street. It is her privilege 
to do so, as she thus shows whether she 
desires to continue his acquaintance or not. 
A failure on her part to bow first excuses 
the gentleman from saluting her. Among 
very intimate friends either party may salute 
first. 

In riding, a gentleman raises his hat 
with his right hand, as the left is occupied 
with the reins. 

When two or more gentlemen, walking 
on the street, meet a lady who is known to 
one only, all should raise their hats and bow. 
Those unacquainted with the lady thus show 
their respect for their friend's friend. 

A gentleman when smoking, if meeting 
a lady acquaintance, should remove the cigar 
from his mouth and hold it down by his side 
before raising his hat to her. Above all, 
never smoke while walking or riding with 
a lady. She may not object to it, but that 
does not pardon your rudeness. 

A young lady should treat an elderly 
person, either man or woman, with the same 
deference she expects at the hands of a gen- 
tleman. 

Calls, Formal and Informal. 

Residents of large cities should call in 
person upon all their acquaintances at 
least once a year, if circumstances permit, 
and should pay additional visits to all from 
whom invitations have been received. Calls 
should also be made when an engagement 
or marriage has taken place in the family of 
an acquaintance, or an acquaintance has 
returned home after a long absence. 

The receipt of any especial hospitality, 
such as a dinner, luncheon, dance, etc., 
obligates that the recipient should call as 
soon thereafter as possible. If living at a 
distance a brief note to the host or hostess 
acknowledging the pleasure received is pro- 

, per ; especially is this expected after an ex- 

70 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



19 



tended visit. This is imperative, but it is not 
necessary after a five o'clock tea or an at- 
home, no one being obliged to follow one call 
with another. Such obligation as exists is for 
the party who gave the tea to return your 
call ; and this is obviously impossible if her 
invitations have been very numerous. After 
being invited to visit a country house, a call 
should be made on those giving the invita- 
tion immediately after their return to their 
town residence. 

In case of a newcomer to the street, or 
the city if a small one, older residents should 
call, and this visit should invariably be 
returned in person within a week. Etiquette 
permits a gentleman — a stranger — ro call 
upon a lady under the following circum- 
stances : If she has invited him to call, if 
he brings a letter of introduction, or if an 
intimate friend of the lady or of the family 
presents him. 

Custom and courtesy require that a lady 
shall call on her lady friends at stated times, 
or at moderate intervals. These calls are 
generally short and formal in character, the 
conversation being devoted to society news 
and similar light subjects. Ten or fifteen 
minutes is the usual length of a formal call, 
half an hour the extreme limit. If while 
calling a second visitor arrives, the first 
visitor should take leave as soon as she can 
do so without seeming abrupt. Special 
friends of tne hostess may linger for an hour 
if they wish. 

In the large cities of the East such calls 
were formerly made between 11 a.m. and 
4 P.M., but later hours in the afternoon are 
now the vogue, as from three to half-past five. 
Evening calls, unless in response to invita- 
tion or through mutual understanding, are 
out of order except in small communities. 
They may break into the dinner hour, or 
interfere with a theatre party or other outing. 

Of course, these rules do not refer to the 
intercourse of intimate friends, the informal 
'" running in," which may take place at any 
time in the day or evening, and need not in- 
terfere with any engagement. Gentlemen, 
as a rule, have only the evening to call in, 
but may call on Sunday afternoon after three. 

A lady, in making a formal call, should 
not remove her bonnet or wrap. A gentle- 
man, in a similar case, was formerly required, 



while leaving his umbrella and over;coat in 
the hall, to bring his hat and cane into the 
receiving room, either holding them or 
placing them on the floor by his chair. This 
rule, however, is no longer observed, and it 
is optional with the visitor to leave them in 
the hall if he prefers. 

Ladies should make morning calls in 
simple toilette, and not in very rich dresses- 
Gentlemen wear morning dress. 

Ending a Call. 

When a call is ended it is customary 
among the best bred people to ring for a ser- 
vant to open the front door for a visitor. 
Some persons prefer to attend visitors to the 
door themselves ; and this should be done 
if a servant is not called upon. It is not 
courteous to let a visitor find his or her way 
out of your house unattended. 

A lady should never attend a gentleman 
to the door ; nor a lady either, if in so doing 
she is obliged to leave other lady callers in 
the drawing room. 

It is optional with the hostess whether 
or not to rise from her seat and cross the 
room to greet a visitor, or to accompany to 
the door a lady who is taking her departure, 
in case of no other ladies being present. 
But in these, as in all other cases where the 
rules of etiquette are not imperative, it is 
well to remember that the course which sets 
the guest most at ease will always be the 
choice of a kindly nature. 

In making a call, if the lady called upon 
is not at home, leave your card ; and if there 
are several ladies staying there whom you 
desire to see, request the servant to present 
your compliments to them severally. Should 
you not have a card, leave your name. 

When a lady visitor takes her leave, a 
gentleman, if present, should rise, and oifer 
to conduct her to her carriage. The offer 
may not be accepted, but if it is, do not 
forget to return and pay your respects to 
your hostess before quitting the house. 

In case of other visitors entering during 
your call, your hostess is not obliged to in- 
troduce you to them, and you should take 
no offence at her failure to do so. Ir* taking 
leave after their entrance, do so in such a 
way as not to make it appear that your 
departure is on account of their coming'. 



171 



20 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



You' may make visits of congratulation 
upon the occurrence of any happy or agree- 
able event in the family of a friend — such 
as a marriage, a birth, or the inheritance of 
wealth. Such visits should be made in the 
morning. 

You should not defer a visit of condo- 
lence beyond the next week after a decth 
occurs in a family. Among friends such 



visits are regarded as an imperative duty, 
except where contagious diseases render 
them dangerous. 

In calling upon a person living or stay- 
ing temporarily at a hotel, wait in the parlor 
and send up your card. Even intimate 
friends should observe this rule. A gentle- 
man may wait in the office or hall of the 
hotel while the waiter takes up his card. 



IV. VISITING AND VISITORS 



Visits of friendship are governed by no 
set rules of etiquette, and need not be formal 
either as to length or manner. It is to be 
presumed that friends or relatives will con- 
form to each other's tastes and habits, and 
conduct themselves in a manner that will be 
mutually agreeable. With intimate friends 
strict ceremony is uncalled for, yet there are 
certain liberties which you enjoy at home 
which are not proper to take in the house of 
a friend. 

It is a sign of ill-breeding, in such a 
visit, to criticise the conduct of servants or 
children, or anything connected with the 
household or the members of the family. 
Remarks of any kind on the faults or foibles 
of persons belonging or closely related to 
the family are sadly misplaced ; and such 
remarks made after taking leave show a 
lack of good feeling which is not redeemed 
by being unheard by those interested. In 
such cases one should strictly apply the 
golden rule of friendship, to do nothing by 
act, word, or deed that may cause a dis- 
agreeable feeling on the part of an enter- 
tainer or any member of his family. 

Evening Calls. 

In many communities, where it is cus- 
tomary to make formal evening calls after 
dinner, the usual hour is from nine to ten 
o'clock. In making an informal evening 
call, a lady may bring a gentleman with 
her, presenting him to her hostess, who will 
present him to her other guests. 

The mistress of the house usually receives 
the visitors, being assisted by her husband 
or some other gentleman in the case of even- 
ing parties. The reception should be quiet, 
easy, and without over-ceremony. In some 
places it is customary to announce the 



names of guests as they enter the room. 
The host or hostess may then present them 
to other guests, if they are not already 
acquaintances. 

When any one enters the room, whether 
announced or not, courtesy requires that the 
host or hostess shall rise at once, advance 
toward the visitor with words of welcoming, 
and request him or her to be seated. The 
seat offered should be one that seems most 
suitable to the age or sex of the visitor. If 
the master of the house receives the visitors, 
he will take a chair and place himself at a 
little distance from them ; if, on the con- 
trary, it is the mistress, and if she is intimate 
with the lady who visits her, she will place 
herself near her. 

If several ladies come at once, we give 
the most honorable place to the one who, 
from age or other considerations, is most 
entitled to respect. If the visitor is a 
stranger, when the master or mistress of the 
house rises any person who may be already 
in the room should do the same, unless the 
company is a large one. When any of the 
company withdraw, the master or mistress 
of the house should conduct them as far as 
the door. But whoever the persons may be 
that depart, if we have other company we 
may dispense with conducting them farther 
than the door of the room. 

If, upon entering a house where you wish 
to pay an evening call, you should find a 
small party assembled , it is best to present 
yourself precisely as though you had been 
invited , Aftei a short while you may take 
your leave, explaining that you only in- 
tended to make a brief call. 

Do not unduly prolong an evening visit. 
It is apt to become tiresome even to your 
most intimate friends, and, though they 
7^ 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



21 



politely exert themselves to be agreeable, it 
does not argue that they are not wearied. 

Should you find a lady on the point of 
going out when you make your call, make 
it as brief as possible, in order to leave her 
at liberty to carry out her plans. 

When you have risen to go, do not delay 
your departure. 

When you are prevented from attending 
a dinner party, or social gathering, call 
upon the person giving it without delay, 
and express your regret for your absence. 
In visiting a city where a friend resides, 
it is best to go to a hotel, although he may 
have invited you to make his house joVlX 
home. You can afterwards call upon him, 
and should he then urge you to accept his 
hospitality, you can do so wi h propriety. 

When asking guests to visit you in your 
home, whether in the country or city, it is 
proper to fix the date of their arrival and 
of their leaving, whether the length of their 
visit is to be two days or a fortnight. If 
the desired duration of a visit should not 
be specified in the invitation, a considerate 
person will take care not to extend it over a 
week, and a shorter time would be still bet- 
ter. It is courteous, in every case, to state 
to your host how long you expect to stay. 

In case of a visit without invitation, you 
should always write to inform even a near 
relative or very intimate friend of your in- 
tended visit, and the time you expect to arrive. 

Among the leading duties of the host or 
hostess may be named the following : See 
that everything has been prepared for the 
comfort of the guests. Anticipate their 
bodily wants as much as possible. Direct 
that some servant shall go to their rooms 
twice a day and ascertain whether anything 
is desired, and whether any assistance can 
be rendered. Arrange so that they can be 
provided with cold or warm baths, as they 
may prefer, every morning. See that coarse 
towels or bath-sheets are within their reach. 
Have a can of hot water taken to each room 
at the hours of dressing. A pitcher of iced 
water and a glass on a tray should be placed 
in the bedrooms at night. 

Entertaining Quests. 

Do not bore visitors by constantly trying 
to amuse them. After means of amusement 



have been provided, let it be optional with 
them as to whether they avail themselves of 
these or not. Permit your visitors to enjoy 
the liberty of solitude and quiet if they 
prefer. Any apparent effort to entertain is 
always bad form. The every- day life of a 
family should not be interfered with by the 
arrival of guests. 

Visitors should conform as much as 
possible to the habits and customs of the 
household. They should be moderate in 
their demands for personal attendance. 
They should not carry their moods into the 
drawing-room or to the table, and, whether 
they are bored or not, should be ready to con- 
tribute as much as is in their power to make 
an atmosphere of pleasure. If the above 
involves too much self-sacrifice, then an 
invitation to visit should not be accepted. 

In case a lady guest is expected, some 
gentleman of the family should meet her at 
the train, or other place of expected arrival, 
look after her baggage, and make all ar- 
rangements requisite to enable her to reach 
your house without delay or discomfort. 

Bidding Quests Adieu. 

While it is not wise to disarrange the 
regular routine of a household on account 
of the arrival of a guest, a reasonable time 
should be devoted to the entertainment of 
the visitor. Receptions, excursions, etc., 
may be provided for, the places of note in 
the vicinity shown, and pleasant acquaint- 
ences visited or invited to call. The guest, 
on departure, should be accompanied to cars 
or boat, and cordially taken leave of on the 
departure of the conveyance. 

L,adies or gentlemen of true courtesy 
will treat with kindness or politeness the 
servants of the family visited, and may rea- 
sonably remember with some gratuity those 
by whom they have been served. Simple 
presents may also with propriety be made 
to the children of the family. Costly or 
lavish gifts, however, are not in order, and 
have the ill effect of placing your enter- 
tainers under an obligation for which they 
may not mentally thank you. 

Do not outdress the members of the 
family in which you are a guest, especially 
in attending an entertainment or place of 

I amusement with them. 

73 



22 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Enter heartily into the plans that are 
made for your entertainment or amusement. 
You should never permit your host or 
hostess to feel that he or she has disappointed 
you while seeking to add to your enjoyment. 

Upon returning home after a visit, write 
immediately to your host or hostess, an- 
nouncing 3^our safe arrival ; and be careful 
to send kind messages to each member of 
the family, mentioning all by name. 

Engraved or Printed Cards. 

The extent to which the use of visiting 
cards is sometimes extended furnishes oc- 
casion to some, unused to polite society, to 
ridicule what they call " pasteboard polite- 
ness," and yet these paper representatives of 
our personality are exceedingly useful 
things ; indespensible, indeed, to the full dis- 
charge of social obligations. 

In the selection of cards several things 
are to be considered ; style, size, color, and 
character of writing. As for color, it should 
always be pure white. The size and shape 
are regulated by the prevailing fashion, but 
any attempt at display, such as fancy de- 
signs, gilt borders, odd shapes, etc., are 
considered vulgar by well-bred people. 

The most tasteful card is an engraved 
one. The printed card comes next, then 
the written card. The fashion as to letters 
changes, but a plain script or old English 
text, well engraved, is alwaj'S neat and in 
good taste. In case the card is written, it 
should be done in pencil rather than in ink, 
thus suggesting that its use is a matter of 
accident. 

The proper size for a gentleman is 
smaller and more oblong in shape than that 
ordinarily used by ladies. If he have no 
title, " Mr." should precede the name. A 
lady's card should have the word " Mrs." or 
" Miss " prefixed to her name. The eldest 
daughter of a family needs "Miss" only 
before the family name. The younger 
daughters need the christain names also. 

The titles properly placed on cards are 
those of army and navy officers, physicians, 
judges, and ministers of the gospel, but 
neither militia nor any other complimentary 
titles are allowable. 

Ladies now usually have the entire 
name — with the prefix of "Miss" or 



" Mrs." engraved on their cards, as " Mrs. 
John Morris Eames," " Miss Edith Lloyd 
Richardson." 

Custom sanctions the engraving of the 
address on all visiting cards, and some 
ladies have the reception day engraved in 
the left-hand corner. In some cities there 
is one exception to this rule. A young 
lady, during her first winter in society, does 
not use a separate visiting card, but has her 
name engraved on the card of her mother or 
chaperon. 

A single gentleman, if he prefers, can 
have his club address engraved on his card, 
instead of the number of his residence. 

A widow can use on her cards either her 
own or her husband's name, as choice may 
dictate ; though she has legally no right to 
retain the latter, custom sanctions it. 

Husband and wife must have st?parate 
visiting cards. It is no longer the fashion 
to have the two names printed together, as 
formerly. 

Rules for Leaving Cards. 

In making the first call of the season, a 
lady leaves with her own, her husband's 
card, and also those of her sons and 
daughters. After a dinner party, or other 
special entertainment, a lady leaves her 
husband's card with her own. 

A married lady, in calling upon another 
married lady, should leave one of her own 
cards and two of her husband's — one of the 
latter being for the wife and one for the 
husband. If the lady called on has a 
daughter in society, the visitor should leave 
two of her own cards and three of her hus- 
band's. If there be another lady in the 
house besides the hostess two cards each of 
wife and husband should be left. When 
calling on a mother and daughters, a lady 
should leave two cards. 

When paying a first call to several ladies 
— not mother and daughters — a card should 
be left for each. When calling on the guest 
of a house, a card should be left for the 
hostess also, even if she is a stranger to the 
visitor. 

When calling at a hotel, it is allowable, 

and even desirable, to write the name of the 

person for whom the visit is intended upon 

the card, to avoid the chance of mistakes; 

74 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



23 



but this should never be done at a private 
residence. Cards should be left or sent on 
the day of a reception, if illness, a death in 
the family , or any other cause prevents the 
acceptance of the invitation. 

Cards should not be turned down at the 
corners, nor bent over at one end — the fash- 
ion is now out of date. 

In sending a first invitation to a person 
on whom the hostess has never called, cards 
should be enclosed with the invitation ; but, 
if possible, a call should precede a first 
invitation. 

After a proper interval of time, cards of 
condolence may be acknowledged (by send- 
ing mourning cards inclosed in an envelope) . 

No lady should use on her cards a sug- 
gestion of her husband's profession or titles 
of honor, such as " Mrs. General Brown," 
"Mrs. Dr. Smith," etc. Nor should she 
be addressed in this manner in conversation. 

In case a person is going away, and likely 
to be absent for a length of time, it is proper 
to write p. p. c. on his or her card, and mail 
the same to acquaintances. The letters thus 
used signify ' ' pour prendre congS, ' ' which 
translated from the French means " to take 
leave." Some write the English words out 
in full. Upon returning home your friends 
must first call upon you. 

If death -occurs in any household where 
one is in the habit of visiting, it is proper to 
leave cards upon the family within a month 
after. 

When a gentleman calls after receiving 
hospitality, he should leave cards for all the 



ladies of the family and one for the gentle^ 
man representing the head of the house, 
whether young or old. 

When a lady is paying merely forma] 
visits she need not necessarily ask whether 
the lady upon whom she is calling is at 
home, but can leave cards simply, unless 
she is under obligation for some courtesy, 
in which case she must ask whether the 
lady can receive her. 

It is better to leave cards in the hall 
when entering an afternoon reception or tea, 
as the hostess might otherwise not remember 
your presence, and a card left in person 
would afterwards remind her that she was 
your debtor for a visit — for if you attend an 
afternoon reception it is equivalent to a call. 

If you receive cards for a series of "at 
homes," and for some good reason cannot 
accept the invitation, send your card on the 
last day named. 

A card left for you during your illness 
should be answered by a call as soon as 
your recovery will permit. 

Should you send a card to a person who 
is ill, the bearer should always make a ver- 
bal inquiry as to your friend's condition of 
health. 

In making calls upon an intimate friend 
it is not necessary to send your card in. 
The simple announcement of your name is 
sufiicient. The use of a card always has an 
air of formality about it. Where persons 
are on cordial terms, and are visiting back 
and forth frequently, a card can very well 
be dispensed with. 



V. BALLS AND EVENING PARTIES 



It is in the evening party that society 
puts on its gayest aspect, and is on its best 
behavior. Here everything is regulated by 
a strict code of observance, any departure 
from which opens one to critical remark. 
It is necessary, therefore, that the etiquette 
of the ball-room should be fully understood 
by all who claim admission to society. 

These entertainments always include danc- 
ing and a supper. If large, they are called 
balls; if small, simply dances or parties. 
Balls are of two kinds, public and private, 
but there is no essential difference between 
the etiquette required on the two occasions. 



As regards the giving of private parties 
or balls, the rule is, that ball-goers should 
make one return during the season. In 
doing so, it is in good taste to restrict the 
number of invitations as far as social obli- 
gations will permit, that the guests may not 
be overcrowded, and the unpleasantness of 
the "crush" may be avoided. To gain 
this desirable end, however, it is always 
safe to make the invitations in excess of the 
number desired, as some are sure to fail to 
come. One third more than the room will 
comfortably hold may usually be safely 
asked. And experience shows that more 



175 



24 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



gentlemen than ladies should be invited, in 
order to secure an equal number of dancers 
of both sexes. 

Invitations may be sent out from two to 
three weeks before the time fixed for the 
party. Less than two weeks is usually con- 
sidered too short notice. 

The hour for balls has, unfortunately, 
been made very late by the absolute dictum 
of fashion. Unless specially indicated on 
the invitation, a hostess cannot hope to as- 
semble her guests before half-past ten, and 
in large cities the rooms are often not filled 
till an hour later. 

Subscription Dances. 

In most of the large cities several series 
of dances are arranged by certain leaders in 
the social world to which people are invited 
to subscribe. Each subscriber is usually 
entitled to a number of invitations for dis- 
tribution, though in some instances the 
price of the subscription is small, and only 
permits one person to take advantage of 
each. 

The subscription balls take place in 
some public ball-room, as a rule. In New 
York, for instance, at Delmonico's. 

Several ladies are selected to form the 
reception committee, and they stand in one 
of the outer rooms, bowing to the guests as 
they enter. On such occasions, no one 
shakes hands ; the ladies courtesy, and the 
gentlemen bow. 

No unmarried lady should go to one of 
these balls, or to any large party, without a 
chaperon, and invitations should be sent to 
an elder member of her family, in order 
that she need not look outside for proper 
attendance. 

In the West and South it is customary 
for gentlemen to take unmarried ladies to 
evening entertainments, but in the East, 
and in the best city society generally, such 
a thing would be considered the greatest 
breach of decorum. At a small dance in 
a private house a young lady may dispense 
with the services of a chaperon, if desired, 
but she should be escorted to and from the 
house by a servant or relative. 

A good floor is essential to the enjoy- 
ment of dancing ; when the carpet is taken 
up, care should be used that no roughness 



of surface is presented. Some ladies have 
their dancing-floors carefully polished with 
beeswax and a brush. A crumb-cloth or 
linen diaper, thoroughly well stretched over 
a carpet, is the next best thing to a polished 
floor. 

The question of music is important. If 
it is a large ball, four musicians is the least 
number that should be engaged — piano, 
cornet or flute, violin, and violoncello. In 
small assemblies the violin and piano are 
sufficient, or, on occasion, the piano alone. 
In such a case a chance pianist should not 
be depended upon, but a professional one be 
engaged . 

The orchestra should occupy what is 
considered the top of the room. In cases 
where it is not convenient to adhere to this 
rule, the end farthest from the door is usu- 
ally chosen. The position of the orchestra 
needs to be considered by the dancers, so 
that, in quadrilles, their movements may be 
regulated thereby. 

The Dressing Room. 

A cloak-room for ladies must be pro- 
vided, with maids to receive shawls and 
cloaks and to render such other assistance 
as may be required. It should contain sev- 
eral looking-glasses, and a supply of such 
articles as may be required in a lady's 
toilette. 

A hat room for gentlemen must not be 
forgotten, with valets to wait upon them. 
It is best to provide checks for articles be- 
longing to ladies and gentlemen left in 
charge of the attendants. Where checks 
cannot be had, tickets numbered in dupli- 
cate may be used — one being given to the 
lady or gentleman, and the other pinned to 
the coat or cloak. By this means the prop- 
erty of each guest is identified, and con- 
fusion at the time of departure is prevented. 

Small fees of twenty-five or fifty cents 
are often given to servants in the dressing- 
room at a public ball, but never in private 
houses in this country, though the custom 
is common in England. Waiters should be 
on hand at supper to serve the meal, as the 
fashion of the gentlemen waiting upon the 
ladies is rapidly becoming obsolete. 

In large cities, an awning should always 
be extended from the front door to the curb- 



176 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



25 



stone, on the occasion of a reception or 
other entertainment, as ladies do not like to 
step out of their carriages in light or elab- 
orate dresses without some protection from 
the weather, and from the gaze of a curious 
crowd. 

The Question of Toilette. 

lyadies may wear as handsome dresses as 
they wish, and make their fullest display of 
jewelry. As everything about a ball-room 
should be light and attractive, it is in order 
for elderly ladies, who do not dance, to wear 
dresses more youthful in style and color 
than would be suitable for dinner, concert, 
, or opera. For those who dance, silk dresses 
are, as a rule, objectionable. 

Flowers are the proper ornaments for the 
head and dress. French ladies select them 
with reference to the season ; but this is not 
insisted on in this country, and summer 
flowers may be worn at Christmas. 

Ladies in deep mourning should not 
dance, even if they permit themselves to at- 
tend a ball. Should they do so, black and 
scarlet or violet is the proper v/ear. Where 
the mourning is sufficiently slight for danc- 
ing to be seemly, white, with mauve, violet 
or black trimmings, flounces, etc., is proper. 

White gloves befit the ball-room ; in 
mourning they may be sewn with black. 
They should be faultless as to fit, and never 
be removed from the hands in the ball- 
room. 

The attire in which a gentleman can 
present himself in a ball-room is so rigor- 
ously defined, and admits of so little variety, 
that it can be described in a few words. 

He must wear a black dress coat, black 
trousers, and a black waistcoat ; a white 
necktie, white kid gloves, and patent leather 
boots. The waistcoat should be low, so as 
to disclose an ample shirt-front, fine and 
delicately plaited ; it is better not embroid- 
ered, but small gold studs may be used 
with effect. Excess of jewelry is to be 
avoided. The necktie should be of a wash- 
ing texture, not silk, and not set off with 
embroidery. 

In the Ball=Room. 

In a private ball or party, guests, on en- 
tering, should at once proceed to pay their 



respects to the lady of the house, who will 
remain near the door to greet them as they 
appear. Some of the gentlemen of the 
house should be near, to introduce to the 
lady any of their friends on their arrival. 
The daughters of the household are not 
required to assist in the ceremony of recep- 
tion. 

The fashion of carrying numerous bou- 
quets to a ball is rapidly going out of exist- 
ence, and many ladies refuse to take any 
flowers into a ball-room, the old custom 
having given rise to much vulgar rivalry 
and ostentatious display. 

At public balls cards giving the order 
of dances are provided, on which gentlemen 
can write their names opposite the numbers 
of the dances for which they have been ac- 
cepted by the lady holding the card. In 
England such cards are in general use, but 
they are rarely provided at private balls in 
this country. 

From eighteen to twenty dances is a 
convenient number to arrange for, with 
supper as a suitable break at about the 
middle of the entertainment. A ball should 
begin with a march, followed in succession 
by a quadrille and a waltz. Then waltzes 
and quadrilles follow as may be arranged. 

The cotillon or German, now so widely 
known, fills up the larger part of the even- 
ing, and begins, as a rule, immediately after 
supper. In a private house, the gentleman 
who has been invited to lead the German 
must ask the unmarried daughter of the 
family to dance with him, or the married 
daughter if so indicated as the family's 
choice. At the more general dances or 
large balls a young married lady is usually 
the one selected to dance with the leader. 

It is quite the custom for a gentleman to 
engage a partner for the cotillon before the 
evening of the dance, and" in this case, pro- 
vided he can afford it, he usually sends her 
a bouquet of flowers. But should the lady 
request him not to remember her in this way 
her wishes should be respected. 

Any gentleman, provided his acquaint- 
ance with the lady be sufficiently intimate to 
warrant him in doing so, has the privilege 
of sending her ofierings of flowers whenever 
he cares to do so. In such a case he should 
go to a florist, leave an order for the kind of 



177 



96 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



bouquet he wishes sent, and also his card 
in an envelope addressed to the lady, which 
envelope should accompany the flowers. 

Formerly, at public balls a master of 
ceremonies was considered always neces- 
sary, but this official is no longer provided, 
the management being now entrusted to a 
committee of arrangements, who are distin- 
guished by wearing ribbons in the button- 
hole, or rosettes. The members of the 
committee superintend the dances, provide 
partners for those who need them, and 
introduce gentlemen to ladies with whom 
they desire to dance. 

In private balls, the lady of the house or 
«ome member of the family attends to intro- 
ductions, and when she has grown daughters 
they may employ themselves in arranging 
sets, introducing partners, and the like, de- 
sisting from dancing themselves while any 
of the lady guests remain unprovided with 
partners. 

Requests to Dance. 

The former fashion of saying, "May I 
have the pleasure of dancing with you?" 
has now given place to a less formal method , 
and a young man may accost a young lady 
with, " I hope you have kept a dance for 
me," " Won't you spare me a dance?" or 
"Shall we take a turn?" A young lady 
does not answer, " I shall be very happy," 
a reply which has disappeared with ' ' May I 
have the pleasure?" but may say, " I am 
afraid I have none to spare except number 
ten, a quadrille," or " I am engaged for the 
next five dances; but I'll give you one, if 
you come for it a little later," or something 
similarly appropriate. 

Another form of invitation is, "Are you 
engaged for this dance?" An unsophisti- 
cated girl may answer by saying, " I do not 
think I am," while perfectly aware that she 
is not, and the young men are quick to see 
through the evasion by which the maiden 
seeks to conceal her lack of partners. A 
clever girl will escape from the dilemma by 
such an answer, as " I am glad to say I am 
not," thus inferring that she might have 
been engaged had she desired, but preferred 
waiting for the chance of dancing with 
him — a suggestion flattering to the gentle- 
man. 

i78 



Ball-room small talk is not expected to 
rise above the common-place. The ma- 
terials supplied by the entertainment itself 
are very limited — the band, the flowers, the 
floor, the supper. Dull people usually ring 
the changes on these themes. For instance, 
" How well the band plays ! " " What a 
pleasant ball-room this is ! " " Don't you 
think the floor slippery ! " " How warm it 
is growing ! ", etc., etc. Such phrases, by 
incessant repetition, grow wearisome, and 
those who can master any more novel 
phrases should make an earnest effort to 
vary the monotony. Nothing very serious 
or profound is in place, but almost any one 
can escape from such trite subjects as these. 

In the Dance. 

When a lady has accepted an invitation 
to dance, the gentleman offers her his right 
arm, and leads her to her place on the floor. 

A slight knowledge of the figure is suffi- 
cient to enable a gentleman to move through 
a quadrille, if he is easy and unembarrassed, 
and his manners are courteous ; but to ask 
a lady to join you in a waltz, or other round 
dance, in which you are not proficient, is 
an offence not easily forgiven, as it may ex- 
pose the lady to awkward embrassment. 

It is inadvisable to dance in every set, as 
the exercise is unpleasantly heating and 
fatiguing. Never forget an engagement — 
it is an offence that does not admit of ex- 
cuse, except when a lady commits it ; and 
then a gentleman is bound to take her at 
her word without a murmur. It is quite 
probable, however, that he will remember 
it against her, and take care not to be again 
victimized by her. 

At the end of a quadrille the gentleman 
should offer his right arm to the lady, and 
walk half round the room with her. He 
should inquire if she will take refreshments, 
and, if she replies in the affirmative, conduct 
her to the room devoted to that purpose. It 
is good taste on the part of the lady not to 
detain her cavalier here so long as to prevent 
him from fulfilling his next engagement, 
since he cannot return to the ball-room un- 
til she is ready to be escorted thither, and 
resigned to her chaperon or friends, or to 
the partner who claims her promise for the 
next dance. 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



27 



Taking Supper. 

The gentleman who dances with a lady 
in the last dance before supper, conducts 
her to the suppei-rooni, attends on her 
while there, and escorts her back to the ball- 
room. At a private ball, the lady of the 
house may ask a gentleman to take a lady 
down to supper, and he is bound to comply, 
and to treat her with the politest attention . 

In either case a gentleman will not sup 
with the ladies, but stand by and attend to 
them, permitting himself a glass of wine 
with them ; but taking a subsequent op- 
portunity to secure his own refreshment. 

Refreshments must be provided for the 
guests during the evening ; and, as nothing 
should be handed round in the ball-room, a 
refreshment-room is necessary. This should, 
if possible, be on the same floor as the ball- 
room, because it is not only inconvenient, 
but dangerous, for ladies heated by the 
dance to encounter the draught of the stair- 
cases. 

In the refreshment-room, lemonade, tea 
and coffee, ices, biscuits, wafers, cakes and 
cracker bonbons should be provided. Some 
persons add wine to the list. 

The supper table should be set in a 
separate room. It is usually opened to the 
guests about 12.30 o'clock, and may con- 
sist of hot and cold dishes, including oysters, 
bouillon, game, croquettes, filet of beef, 
salads, pates, ices, cakes, sweets, jellies, 
fruits, and champagne, punch, lemonade 
and mineral waters, or such combinations or 
variations of these viands as may be decided 
upon. Small tables are frequently used at 
balls, so that four or six people may sit at 



one table and eat their supper comfortably 
in courses. 

In private parties the character of the 
supper will, of course, depend upon the 
taste and resources of those who give the 
ball. To order it in from a good caterer is 
the simplest plan, but may often prove too 
expensive. If provided at home, let it be 
done on a liberal, but not too profuse a 
scale. 

After the Ball. ; 

Assemblies of this kind should be left 
quietly. If the party is small, it is permis- 
sible to bow to the hostess ; but at a large 
ball this is not necessary, unless you meet 
her on your way from the room. It is im- 
portant to avoid making your departure 
felt as a suggestion for breaking up the 
party, it being very impolite to indicate by 
your movements or manner that, in your 
opinion, the entertainment has been kept up 
long enough. 

Finally, let no gentleman presume on a 
ball-room introduction. It is given with r 
view to one dance only, and will certainly 
not warrant a gentleman in going further 
than asking a lady to dance a second time. 
Out of the ball-room such an introduction 
has no force whatever. 

If those who have danced together meet 
next day in the street, or the park, the 
gentleman must not venture to bow, unless 
the lady chooses to favor him with some 
mark of her recognition. If he does, he 
must not expect any acknowledgment of his 
salutation. 

After a private ball it is etiquette to call 
at the house during the following week. 



VI. BREAKFAST, LUNCHEON AND TEA 



The hour at which breakfast shall be 
served is governed entirely by the habits and 
tastes of the family. Where it is very late, 
it is often preceded by the sending of coffee 
or tea, rolls and eggs in some form, to the 
bed rooms, the family, in such a case, not 
coming down to a general meal till about 
noon. Breakfast, however, is served in the 
same manner whether the hour be early or 
late, and this meal should always be quite 
free fuom formality. 



A tea and coffee tray should be placed in 
front of the mistress of the house. It is 
quite within the rules of breakfast etiquette 
for people to wait on themselves and to help 
each other, and as the bread, small dishes, 
etc., are frequently on the side table, this is 
a very convenient fashion. One servant is 
enough in the dining-room in the morning, 
even though a larger number may be retained . 
Ordinary courses for breakfast consist of 

' three or four, such as hominy or oatmeal 

19 



28 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



first, then eggs, meat, or ham, and the 
chief portion of the food, followed by grid- 
dle-cakes and finally fruit. Toast should 
be freshly made, and sent up from time to 
time while the breakfast goes on . It should be 
always hot, as cold toast is never palatable. 

Luncheon. 

In imitation of the French, the meal 
which in our country is usually called 
" lunch " or " luncheon," is sometimes de- 
signated as " breakfast." It may either be 
"ormal, resembling a dinner, or informal, 
like the breakfast just described. It is ser- 
ved between 12.30 and 1.30, and the hostess 
may make it as simple or as elegant as 
she chooses. A formal luncheon party, 
however, differs little, if at all, from a din- 
ner. If the occasion is a ceremonious one, 
the table is set in the same manner as for 
a dinner, and the dishes are handed by the 
servants ; but the guests enter separately, 
instead of arm in arm. 

At a large lunch-party either one long 
table, or several little ones, may be used. 
If the latter method is preferred, take care 
that the servants have ample room to pass 
I etween them. Kach plate should have be- 
side it two knives, two forks, one or two 
spoons, and a water-goblet. 

The first course should consist of fruit 
or of raw oysters, or of bouillon or chicken 
consomme, served in cups set on plates, and 
provided with teaspoons. 

This course is followed by an entree, 
chops with one or two vegetables, game or 
chicken, and salad, with sweets, candies, 
fruits, etc. Black coffee is usually served 
after luncheon. 

In an informal lunch, if the hostess pre- 
fers, the sweets may be placed on the table 
in advance ; but vegetables must be served 
from the side-board, and the chops, cold 
meats, etc., should be served by the hostess. 
Yet at such luncheons vegetables are fre- 
quently omitted, and in the selection of 
dishes the greatest latitude of choice is per- 
missible. Among those most frequently 
served may be named oysters, croquettes, 
French chops, cold meats, beefsteak, fish, 
omelettes and salads. 

At formal luncheons a bouquet for each 
lady is sometimes provided, they being 



grouped as an ornament in the centre of the 
table, and distributed after the meal. The 
custom is a pretty one, and worth encour- 
aging. Occasionally, also, some pretty 
trifle is given to each guest as a memento 
of the occasion, but there is no obligation 
for this to be done. «^ 

Guests should be punctual in attendance 
on such an occasion, or send word promptly 
if prevented, by some sudden occurrence, 
from coming. Either a w^hite or figured 
table-cloth may be used, but it must be one 
that will wash. 

These are rules which etiquette and good 
breeding demand shall be observed, not 
alone at luncheon, but at all meals. The 
table is the social centre, and it is essential 
that those who gather around it shall con- 
form themselves to the most approved rules 
of good society. A knowledge of table eti- 
quette is very desirable to possess, since 
many regard it as one of the surest tests of 
good breeding. It is at the dinner table, 
however, that strict rules of observance be- 
come indispensible. There is miich more 
freedom allowable at the earlier meals of the 
da}^ and a digest of table rules may be left 
till we come to speak of the principal meal. 

It may be said, however, in regard to 
conversation at the lunch table, that both 
etiquette and good breeding forbid indul- 
gence in gossip, particularly in any sense 
ill natured, and nothing can be more ill-bred 
than to make, after the meal, carping criti- 
cisms on the hostess and the entertainment 
she has provided. 

Teas and Afternoon Receptions. 

These are among the most informal en- 
tertainments given, and the difference be- 
tween a large afternoon tea and an afternoon 
reception is little more than the name, 
though the latter is perhaps a shade more 
formal. They frequently take place at 
the same hour, and the character of the 
invitations and entertainments differ very 
little. 

The day and hour of an afternoon tea 
may be written on a visiting card. For an 
afternoon reception, an " At Home " card is 
used. No answer need be sent to such an 
invitation, unless one is particularly re- 
quested, which is not ordinarily the rule. 



180 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



29 



It is necessary to speak to the host and 
hostess immediately upon entering the room, 
but owing to the constantly moving crowd 
it is not essential that guests should again 
address the host and hostess when they are 
about to leave. 

The length of stay can vary from five 
minutes to an hour at an afternoon recep- 
tion, but at an evening reception the time is 
usually more extended. 

Only simple refreshments should be 
served at an afternoon tea. Thin slices of 
bread and butter, sandwiches, fancy biscuit 
or cake, tea, coffee, or chocolate, ice cream ^ 
and bouillon are offered. Punch and lemon- 
ade — but no wine of any kind — may be 
added if desired ; and also salted almonds, 
cakes, candies, and other dainty trifles. 
English breakfast tea is now preferred, 
served with cream and white sugar, or 
slices of lemon for those who like tea made 
in the Russian style. 

At an afternoon reception the table may 
1)6 supplied with oyster-salads, pates, boned 
Lurkey, ice cream, coffee, and bonbons. 

For a reception music is desirable, as it 
adds greater brilliancy to the entertainment. 

The hostess should shake hands with 
her guests and receive them cordially ; any 
formality is out of place on an informal 
occasion. 

If the number of guests is small, the 
hostess should walk about the room, talking 
with her visitors ; if large, she should re- 
main near the door, and have the aid of 
other ladies, who should entertain the 
guests, ask them to take refreshments, and 
make introductions when necessary. 

At a large and elegant afternoon recep- 
tion the windows may be darkened, the gas 
lighted, and musicians employed, if the 
hostess desires. 

What is known as a high tea is a meal 
taking the place of a dinner, at which hot 
meats, cakes, warm breads, preserves and 
other sweets are served. Such teas are more 
popular in the country than in town. 

At the informal tea, of which it is the 
custom to partake at about five o'clock 
in many households, a tray is brought in to 
the mistress of the house, and placed before 
her on a small table. This tray should con- 
tain a tea-service, cups, saucers, etc. The 



lady herself makes the tea, pours it out, and 
passes it to the members of the family or the 
visitors who may chance to be present. The 
servant brings in thin slices of bread and 
butter, cake, and, perhaps, English muffins, 
which are usually served with the cup of tea 
at this hour. 

Suppers. 

Supper, as a rule, is similar to dinner, 
and unless served at a ball or as a part of 
some other entertainment has very much 
the character of that meal . A fter the theatre 
or opera, people frequently indulge in some 
refreshment which may or may not be dig- 
nified by the name of supper. 

Picnics. 

If one person gives a picnic he must 
provide everything, the modes of convey- 
ance to the place selected, the refreshments, 
entertainment, etc., but if several join in 
this the labor and expense should be equally 
divided. 

The refreshments should consist chiefly 
of cold dishes, such as meats, boned turkey, 
sandwiches, salads, cakes, jellies, pies, etc., 
with lemonade, or such other drinks as may 
seem desirable. Hot dishes are sometimes 
served, prepared at a neighboring house. 

Picnics are often so arranged that each 
lady attending furnishes a dish of some 
kind. In this way all the refreshments can 
be provided without any difficulty. 

Sometimes a wooden platform is erected, 
and dancing is the chief amusement after 
eating. 

A picnic generally lasts from about noon 
until twilight, and the best season of the 
year for such an entertainment is when it is 
pleasant to be out of doors. 

Sufficient china, glass, etc., should al- 
ways be provided, though they should be of 
a plain and inexpensive kind, for fear of 
breakage. 

Theatre Parties. 

A dinner, either at home or at a restau- 
rant, is frequently followed by a visit to the 
theatre or the opera. In such a case it is 
proper for the one who gives the theatre 
party to invite an equal number of ladies 
and gentlemen, a proper chaperon, of course. 



30 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



being provided. If the party are to dine 
together before going to the play, half-past 
six is usually the hour appointed, whether 
the dinner is to take place in a private house 
or in a restaurant. If there is to be no din- 
ner, some house is selected where the guests 
assemble at a proper hour to reach the 
theatre in time. 

It is customary, when you invite married 
people or gentlemen to the opera, to send 
them their tickets so that they may join you 
at the opera house, unless for some reason 
you wish to go with them . Unmarried ladies 
are usually asked to dine by their friends 
and go with them from their home. Sup- 
pers are rarely given after the opera, owing 
to the lateness of the hour. If the party 
did not dine together, however, it is custo- 
mary for the host or hostess to give the 
guests a supper somewhere after the play. 

It is the duty of the chaperon to see the 
unmarried ladies safely home. 

Chaperons. 

The word chaperon is French, and signi- 
fies a married lady, or one of sufficient age 
and dignity to accompany an unmarried 
one with propriety to any reputable enter- 
tainment. 

Her services may be called upon, not 



alone for theatres, operas, concerts, balls, 
or other evening entertainments, but are de- 
manded on many occasions during the day. 
No party of any kind which includes both 
sexes should be formed unless some married 
lady has charge of it. 

The greatest courtesy and deference to a 
chaperon should always be manifested by 
the young ladies and gentlemen- under her 
charge. Indifferent civility in this respect 
is the height of ill-breeding. 

When an older lady passes a younger 
one in a ball-room and bows, the younger 
one should never remain seated when re- 
turning such a mark of recognition. 

In leaving a room simultaneously, 
younger and unmarried ladies should always 
stand aside until the older or married ones 
have passed out. 

The chaperon should behave with 
dignity, while being as genial and agree- 
able to the younger members of her party 
as possible. She should see that the un- 
married ladies she has charge of reach 
home safely, and never leave them to a 
chance escort, no matter how tired she may 
be. One can never be too sure but that 
young girls may be exposed to unpleasant 
situations, if left without a companion of 
judgment and experience. 



VII. BANQUETS AND DINNERS 



The formal dinner is one of the most im- 
Dortant occasions in social life, the test to 
vhich the degree of acquaintance of anyone 
with the customs of good society is often 
put, the trial scene of good breeding and 
familiarity with polite observance. The 
"ules to be observed at table are so many 
and minute that they require careful study, 
and many who pass muster on less formal 
occasions, may sadly err in some of the in- 
dispensible detailsof the etiquette of the table. 
In^ ordinary, informal dinners, indeed, 
this strictness of observance is not de- 
manded, and much more freedom is per- 
missible, the home feeling here taking the 
place of ceremonious rules. Yet even here 
it is important to avoid falling into too great 
a latitude of action, since habits formed at 
home are very apt to accompany one 
abroad. 



Choosing Guests. 

In giving a dinner party, the first and 
often the most important question is, whom 
to invite. How many to invite folio v\'S as a 
problem of little less importance. For a 
pleasant dinner the number should be small 
rather than large, eight or ten being a fair 
average. An ^even number seems prefer- 
able, though this is not a matter of essential 
consideration. 

Of course, large dinners are often a 
necessity, when given for business, family, 
or other reasons ; and when display is the 
leading motive in giving the dinner, the 
number may be as great as the resources of 
the establishment will permit. But if com- 
fort and the pleasure of social intercourse 
are the objects proposed, the number will 
need to be limited. 



book: of etiquette 



31 



As to who should be invited, we have 
here a question that has sadly troubled many 
generations of hosts and hostesses. To 
bring together an incongruous mass of 
people is simply to invite failure. Guests 
should be selected with strict attention to a 
sense of fitness ; and equal attention should 
be given to placing those of similar tastes 
together at table. The ease of conversation 
and the enjoyment of the dinner depend 
largely on this. Clever conversationalists 
are always most desirable guests. These 
are not always to be had, but even a single 
fluent talker often acts as a leaven that will 
rouse to speech a whole company of ordi- 
narily quiet people. The invitation should 
be sent a week or two before the time fixed, 
or as much as three weeks if the affair is to 
be one of great formality. 

Duties of the Hostess. 

A dinner party is regarded by many per- 
sons as the most formal and, at the same 
time, the most elegant mode of entertaining 
guests — it is certainly the one which most 
severely taxes the resources of the hostess. 
Any woman not positively ill-bred can fill 
the position of hostess at a ball ; but it re- 
quires tact, readiness, and a thorough knowl- 
edge of society to make a dinner party, in 
the ordinary parlance, " go off well." No 
matter how exquisite the china, glass, floral 
decorations, silver, and linen may be, if the 
hostess is a dull or awkward woman, the 
banquet will not be a success, for a proper 
selection of guests and the power of drawing 
them into gay and brilliant conversation are 
quite as needful as any of the material 
accessories. 

The hostess should call into requisition 
all her tact and knowledge of society to set 
her guests at ease. No accident must dis- 
turb her. If her rarest china or most preci- 
ous bit of glass is broken, she must appear 
not to notice it. If any one has had the 
misfortune to arrive late, she must welcome 
him or her cordially, though her duties to 
- her other guests have not permitted her to 
wait in the drawing-room more than the fif- 
teen minutes permitted by etiquette to the 
tardy. She must think only of encouraging 
the timid, inducing the taciturn to talk, and 
enabling all to contribute their best conver- 



sational powers to the general fund of enter- 
tainment. The same rules, of course, apply 
to the host. 

Ihe arrangements for dinner should be 
much the same whether the party be large 
or small, though, of course, the larger num- 
ber will require a few extra servants, and 
may render advisable some extra courses. 
It should be remembered, however, by 
givers of dinners that too many courses are 
objectionable, and that in the best society of 
to-day fewer dishes are offered than was for- 
merly the custom. 

The hour for dinner should be fixed 
to suit the convenience of the guests and 
will vary in city and country. In the city 
it should be no earlier than seven nor later 
than eight o'clock, and the probability must 
be borne in mind that the guests will not all 
assemble till at least fifteen minutes after the 
hour named in the invitations. Tardiness 
of this kind was formerly considered rude, 
but has now become so common as to be 
expected and allowed for. 

Arranging the Table. 

In the centre of the table should be either 
a vase of flowers or a dish of fruit. Ferns 
make a very attractive effect. There should 
be small dishes of candies, figs, prunes, 
crystallized ginger, etc. Olives or radishes, 
salted almonds, etc., should beset in pretty 
little dishes on the table. These, with the 
silver, glass carafes of water, and wine de- 
canters, complete the decoration of the table. 

Everything else should be served from 
the side-table, and passed to each guest. 
This saves great confusion, and contributes 
more than anything else to the comfort of 
the meal. It is important also to have 
warm food served on hot plates. Cold 
plates will spoil the best dinner ever 
cooked. 

The table cloth should be of the finest 
quality ; and it is well for those whose 
means do not permit them to follow fash- 
ion's every caprice, to remember that fine 
white table linen is always in place. If 
colored materials are used, the latest edict 
of fashion forbids the employment of any 
stuffs that will not wash. 

Decorations should always be arranged 
so that they will not prevent the guests 
83 



32 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



from seeing one another. The preference 
is now for low dishes of flowers of delicate 
perfume. Those of strong fragrance should 
be avoided, as in a warm room their odor 
may become oppressive. 

An ostentatious display of flowers, plate, 
or ornaments of any kind is not in the best 
taste ; nothing being more vulgar than a 
seeming desire to impress your friends with 
a show of wealth. 

Placing the Table=Ware. 

On the right of the space left for the 
plate place two knives and a spoon. The 
present mode is to use silver knives as well 
as forks for fish, and in that case this knife 
is placed with the others. On the left three 
forks — that for sweets smaller than the 
others. At times other knives, forks, and 
spoons are provided, but it is better to bring 
these in as needed for the separate courses, 

The glasses are placed on the right. 
These should be at least four in number. 
As it is a great breach of decorum , as well 
as a sign of ignorance, to drink one sort of 
wine from a glass intended for another, we 
shall describe the glasses commonly in use. 
The tall glass, or that with the shallow, 
saucer-like top, is for champagne ; the green 
for hock, chablis and similar wines ; the 
large, ample glass for claret and burgundy ; 
the round, full-shaped glass for port, and 
the smaller glass for sherry. 

It must not be understood, however, 
that wines are essential to a high-toned 
dinner. Some of our very best families, the 
acknowledged leaders of fashion, never put 
champagne or any other kind of wine on 
their tables. 

Each guest must be provided with a 
table-napkin, which, in laying the table, 
should occupy the place reserved for the 
plate. 

There are many different and various 
ingenious ways of treating the dinner-nap- 
kin. The simplest is to leave it in the folds 
in which it comes from the laundress. 

Bread should be cut in thin slices, and 
laid on a napkin at the left of each plate. 

The room may be lighted with either 
white or colored candles or lamp. Many 
persons prefer to have the light fall in part 
from side brackets or sconces on the wall . 



Dress. 

As regards dress for a dinner party, it 
must be governed in great measure by the 
character of the dinner, whether friendly 
and informal, or an occasion of leading im- 
portance and marked formalitj^ For the 
latter, lady and gentleman alike should 
dress as elaborately as for a ball, though 
ball dress and dinner dress should by no 
means be the same. The occasions differ 
widely, and the fitness of things needs to be 
strictly observed. 

As to the character of the lady's dress, 
that must depend on her own taste. It will 
suffice to state here that full dress is re- 
quisite and that jewerly maybe freely worn. 
For an ordinary, small dinner, however, a 
much less elaborate toilette is sufficient, and 
may prove more comfortable. 

The gentleman will wear the ordinary 
evening dress already described. He may 
wear more jewelry than is in good taste 
earlier in the day. 

Entering the Dining Room. 

If the dinner is to be a large and formal 
one, a gentleman should receive an envelope 
before entering the drawing-room in which 
is a card bearing the name of the lady he is 
desired to take in to dinner. If he does not 
know the lady he should ask the hostess to 
present him to her. At small and informal 
dinners this is not necessary, the hostess 
simply mentioning to the gentleman the 
name of the lady he is wished to escort to 
the table. In fact, though still in use, the 
custom above named is going out of fashion, 
an assignment in the drawing-room being 
considered suflBcient. 

A card is generally laid at each place, 
giving the name of the guest who is to oc- 
cupy it. This custom is also unnecessary 
at a small dinner. Menus, or bills of fare, 
are often placed before the guests at large 
dinners, but rarely at small ones. 

When the guests have all arrived and 
the dinner is ready, the butler or waitress 
should enter the drawing-room and politely 
say to the lad)'- of the house, " Dinner is 
served ' ' ; then he or she should return to 
the dining-room and stand behind the 
hostess until she is seated. 



184 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



33 



The gentleman of the house must offer 
his right arm to the lady who has been 
selected as the important guest of the even- 
ing, and then proceed to the table, placing 
her on his right, he generally taking the 
lower end of the table. The other guests 
follow, each gentleman with the lady selected 
for him ; and finally the hostess enters with 
the gentleman whom she wishes to honor, 
he taking a seat at her right. 

The remaining guests, in case their seats 
are not indicated by cards, will take the 
seats assigned to them by the host or hostess. 
In case no assignment is made, it should be 
remembered that questions of precedence, 
formerly so much considered, are growing 
to be of minor importance, particularly in 
this country. 

Every place at a friend's table is equally 
a place of honor, and should be equally 
agreeable, so that, in the best circles, it is 
becoming the custom for the guests to sit in 
the order in which they enter the room. A 
little care should, however, be taken that a 
judicious distribution of the guests, accord- 
ing to their tastes, accomplishments, terms 
of intimacy, etc, is secured. Ladies sit on 
the right of gentlemen. 

As soon as seated all the guests remove 
their gloves, and, taking the napkins from 
the table, open them and spread th;im on 
their knees. The napkin is not to be tucked 
into the waistcoat or pinned on to the front 
of the dress. It will usually contain a roll ; 
that is placed on the left side of the plate. 

The Dinner- 
It is not easy to lay down any fixed rule 
for the character of the dinner. That must 
be governed by the season and the taste and 
resources of the host. However humble 
the pretensions of the dinner, it should 
never consist of less than three courses, 
namely , soup or fish , a j oint (which , in a small 
dinner, may be accompanied by poultry or 
game) and pastry. Cheese with salad fol- 
lows as a matter of course. Dessert succeeds. 
The number of servants necessary will 
depend, of course, on the number of guests. 
Three will be enough for a party of ten or 
twelve persons. On their training and efii- 
cient service the success of the dinner will 
largely depend. 

iq E I 



What is above said about courses applies, 
of course, to a very simple meal. In those 
of more pretension the courses may vary 
considerably in number and character, 
though custom lays down certain fixed rule* 
for the succession of viands. For an ordi- 
nary dinner the following will sufl&ce as an 
example. 

Dinner Courses. 

The dinner may begin with oysters on 
the half shell, five or six for each person. 
If not the season for oysters, small clams 
are frequently served in the same way. 
These should be very cold, and the clams 
are better if surrounded by cracked ice. A 
piece of lemon should be in the centre of 
each plate, and pepper and salt be passed 
with this course. 

Soup follows. Hither one or two may 
be served — a white and a clear, or a white 
and a brown soup ; but never serve two 
kinds one after the other. 

Follow the soup with fish. At the best 
tables you will find a silver fish-knife as well 
as fork ; if not, eat with a fork in the right 
hand and a small piece of bread in the left. 

When there are two kinds of fish, the 
larger one — say the turbot — is placed before 
the host ; the lady taking that which is less 
calculated to fatigue in the helping. When 
fish sauce is handed, put it on the side of 
your plate. There are certain sauces appro- 
priate to each kind of fish — as lobster sauce 
with turbot, shrimp or caper with salmon, 
oyster with cod, and so on. 

The entrees follow, being ordinarily 
served in covered silver side dishes. They 
consist of sweetbreads, pates, cutlets, and 
made-dishes generally. It is not customary 
to do more than taste one or two of these. 
Too much attention to them is apt to unfit 
one for enjoying the rest of the dinner. In 
eating of these dishes the fork alone, where 
possible, should be used. 

The raeats and vegetables follow. Some 
vegetables, such as asparagus, sweet corn, 
or maccaroni, can be offered by themselves ; 
but hostesses should beware of making the 
meal tiresome by a needless number of 
courses. 

It is not allowable, however, to serve 
more than two vegetables with one course, 



34 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



nor to offer an^^thing except potatoes or 
potato salad with the fish. 

The roast meats are placed about the 
table in this way : The largest and most 
important, say haunch of venison, before 
the host ; one before the lady of the house, 
and such dishes as tongue or ham before 
particular guests, who occupy seats at points 
where carving-knives and forks are placed in 
readiness. 

Carving is an important accomplishment, 
and one that every gentleman should seek 
to acquire. A man should be able to carve 
a joint or a bird easily and dexterously, but 
facility can only be acquired by practice, 
which it is important to have. It is cus- 
tomary, however, to have the joint carved 
off the table, put back as before carving, 
and served. 

It is hardly necessary to say that knife 
and fork are used in the eating of meat, 
poultry, or game ; and it seems equally un- 
necessary to say that the purpose of the 
knife is simply to cut the food. Under no 
circumstances must it be used to convey it 
to the mouth. Vegetables are eaten with a 
fork. A spoon is rarely necessary, and a 
knife comes into use only in such cases as 
cutting off the heads of asparagus and the 
like. 

If considered desirable, a course of vege- 
tables may follow that of meat, — asparagus, 
cauliflower, artichokes, baked tomatoes, or 
some similar dish being served. 

Game follows. Salad may be served 
either with the game or as a separate course. 
In the latter c ase serve with it cheese and 
bread and butter. The bread can be cut 
very thin and carefully buttered, or the 
butter and bread can be served separately. 
If preferred, the cheese can be served as a 
separate course. 

Follow the cheese and salad with the 
sweet dishes and ices, then serve the fruit, 
and lastly the bonbons. Coffee may be 
ser\^ed in the drawing-room, when the 
courses have not occupied too much time, 
or at the table, according to the preference 
of the hostess. 

Black coffee, which should be made very 
strong and clear, must be served in very 
small cups, with tiny coffee-spoons. 



After the Courses. 

Everything except the lights and orna- 
ments should be removed from the table 
before the dessert is served, the crumbs being 
brushed off with a crumb-scraper or a nap- 
kin, a clean one of course. 

Finger bowls, set on handsome china or 
glass plates, with a fruit napkin or embroid- 
ered doily between, should be placed on the 
table for the fruit course. The dainty em- 
broidered doilies, however, must never bo 
used, and substantial fruit napkins should 
be supplied when any fruits that stain badly 
are served. 

Where there is more than one servant, a 
second waiter carrying the proper vegetables 
should follow the first, who passes the meat 
or fish. The lady next the host should first 
be helped, and the others in turn, after 
which the gentlemen should be served. 
But when there is only one servant, the 
guests may be helped in the order in which 
they sit, beginning with the lady at the 
host's right, then passing to the one at his 
left, leaving the host himself to be served last. 

When the servants have placed the des- 
sert on the table and have handed the fruit 
and sweets once round, they retire. Any 
further service which the ladies may require 
can be given by the gentlemen, who will, of 
course, exert themselves to see that their 
neighbors are properly attended to. 

Retiring from the Table. 

Then the hostess bows to the lady of most 
distinction present, and all the ladies rise and 
prepare to retire. The gentleman nearest 
the door opens it, and holds it open for them. 
The hostess is the last to go out. While 
they are going all the gentlemen rise, and 
remain standing until they are gone. It 
would not, however, be a violation of eti- 
quette for the gentlemen to accompany the 
ladies to the drawing-room at once, and 
what is here said applies principally to for- 
mal dinners, and to families in which the 
gentlemen are accustomed to conclude the 
meal with cigars and wine. 

Tea and coffee are dispensed by the lady 
of the house in the drawing-room. This is 
her special province. It should be accom- 
panied by a few wafers ; a plate of very thin 
86 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



35 



rolled bread-and-butter and a few biscuits 
of the lightest description may be added. 
One cup of tea or coffee only should be 
taken ; and certainly no one can need to be 
told that it inust not be poured into the 
saucer to cool. It will be handed round 
the room by the servants. 

In the drawing-room there should be a 
little music to give relief to the conversa- 
■ tion. 

At a plain family dinner, at which one 
or two guests are present, more devolves on 
tbe host and hostess, and less on the servants. 

General Hints. 

You should sit at a convenient distance 
from the table, and sit upright. Do not 
lean back, or tilt your chair, or stoop for- 
ward towards the table. 

When grace is said at the table, observe 
the most respectful attention, reverently in- 
clining the head. 

Do not be impatient to be served. 
Should you need anything at the hands of 
the servants, do not order them to serve 
you, but request them politely, in a low, 
distinct tone, adding, "if you please." In 
declining a viand offered by them, say, 
" Not any, I thank you," etc. 

Do not hesitate to take the last piece of 
bread or cake in a dish handed to you. 
Your host has more for other guests. When 
a piate containing food is handed to you, 
set it down before you, and do not pass it to 
your neighbor. 

Wines. 

As regards the use of wines at dinner, 
the following rules will suffice. They 
should be served in the following succession . 

First. — Sherry, which must be very 
cold and decantered. This to be passed with 
the soup. If a white wine is to be served, it 
should be given with the oysters and also 
very cold. This must not be decantered. 

Second. — Champagne, which should be 
packed in ice several hours before it is to be 
used. Serve it in the bottle with a napkin 
held round it to absorb the moisture. 
Champagne is passed with the meat. 

Third. — Claret, which must be decant- 
ered and warm, and served with the game 
and salad. 



is; 



Fourth. — Madeira, also decantered but 
of its natural temperature and passed with 
the dessert. 

Mineral waters, such as apoUinaris, can 
be passed at dinner, as some prefer a min- 
eral to natural water. As has been already 
said, a glass suitable for each variety of 
wine is placed on the table. This is not the 
case with the Madeira glasses, which are 
kept on a side-table, and brought to the 
table after the glasses previously used have 
been removed and before sweets are served. 

After dinner, when the ladies have left 
the room and the gentlemen are preparing 
to smoke, coffee, without milk, is served 
and carried to the ladies in whichever room 
they may be. 

It may be said in conclusion that the 
custom of wine drinking during dinner, and 
of drinking and smoking afterwards, is no 
longer of so ordinary application as former- 
ly. While still generally retained in the 
case of large and formal dinners, it is fre- 
quently omitted in small, and commonly in 
family dinners, being considered by many a 
custom ' ' better kept in the breach than the 
observance." 

Dinners at Restaurants. 

When a dinner is given at a public 
restaurant, a table can be reserved in the 
public dining-room , or a private room can 
be engaged. It is usual to order the dinner 
beforehand, so that there will be no needless 
delay in serving it when the guests arrive. 

If a lady gives the dinner it is better for the 
guests to meet at her house, so that they may 
all go together to the restaurant, but if an 
unmarried gentleman is the host be must 
appoint an hour for the party to meet him 
in the vestibule of the restaurant, and the 
lady who has consented to chaperon his din- 
ner m.ust be there very punctually, in order 
to spare any unmarried lady the annoyance 
of arriving alone at a public place. 

The style of the dinner must rest with 
the taste of the host or hostess, but it should 
resemble as nearly as possible a dinner in a 
private house, both in table appointments, 
variety of dishes, service, etc. 

It is perfectly admissible for an unmar- 
ried lady to dine at a restaurant, provided 
that she is properly chaperoned. 



36 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Lunches and breakfasts are, under the 
above circumstances, governed by the same 
rules as those given in regard to dinners. 

Ladies may lunch or breakfast without 
gentlemen in respectable public restaurants, 
but two ladies should if possible be together, 
rather than that one should lunch or break- 
fast alone. 

Of course, no one needs to imagine that 
in entertaining a few friends at dinner all 
this ceremony is indispensible. It belongs 
to occasions where formality and close at- 
tention to fixed social rules are considered 
neccessary, but there is an agreeable form 
of informal dinner which calls for no man- 
ual of observance, in which the friends are 
taken into the bosom of the family and the 



ease of unfettered home intercourse prevails, 
For such dinners there are no set rules ; 
every community, every family, make their 
own laws, and calmly ignore or simoly 
laugh at the dictates of fashion. Here soup 
maybe omitted, if not cared for ; you may 
pass up your plate to your host for a slice 
of beef ; you may do a dozen things that are 
quite out of order where formality prevails, 
and be as heedless and happy as you please. 
But all this is behind closed doors ; when 
you fall under fashion's eagle eye no such 
looseness is for a moment to be considered ; 
you must eat and drink to rule and measure 
or consider yourself a candidate for banish- 
ment. 



VIII. COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE 



Preceding the marriage comes the court- 
ship, an event which, since the world began, 
has been one of vital interest to man and 
woman, but which is so varied in its inci- 
dents and characteristics that no set rules of 
etiquette can be made to apply to it. It 
may suflBce to say that when a gentleman 
feels such admiration for a lady as to induce 
him to make a proposal of marriage to her, 
it is the more manly and courageous way to 
do so verbally instead of in writing. During 
courtship anything that offends good taste, 
or is conspicuous in the conduct of a be- 
trothed pair, should be sedulously avoided, 
— such as making public each other's senti- 
ments. These concern the pair alone ; they 
lack interest for the public at large, and eti- 
quette demands that they should be kept 
secret. 

A sufficient public announcement of the 
engagement is made by the ring, which it is 
usual for the gentleman to give the lady, as 
a token of the new relation existing between 
them. This may be a diamond solitaire, if 
the means of the gentleman will permit. 
Otherwise, a plain gold band is in order. It 
must be worn on the third finger of the left 
hand. 

When the engagement is once formally 
made, it may be made known by the young 
lady or her mother to relatives and intimate 
friends. Good form, however, requires that 
the gentleman should gain the consent of 



the guardian or parents of the lady before 
making his proposal to herself. This is 
particularly important if he is in moderate 
circumstances and she wealthy. 

The length of the engagement must de- 
pend largely upon the wishes of the parties 
most particularly concerned. Of late years 
it has become the fashion to shorten the 
time, and unless the marriage is likely to 
take place within six months it is better 
to make no public announcement of the en- 
gagement. 

Hasty marriages, on short acquaintance, 
are in all cases to be avoided. The loving 
pair should grow to know each other well 
and intimately before courtship is allowed to 
pass its preliminary stage of attractive ac- 
quaintance ; and many an unhappy mar- 
riage has come from undue haste in this 
particular, ardent fancy being permitted to 
take the place of cool reflection and growing 
knowledge. 

There is a ddight in courtship, more- 
over, which is often unwisely abridged by 
too quick a marriage. In the words of one 
wise maiden, who was asked why she did 
not marry when she had so many lovers, 
' ' Being courted is too great a luxury to be 
spoiled by marrying." But all this is mat- 
ter for which it is useless to attempt to lay 
down rules. Men and maidens have fol- 
lowed their own inclinations in regard to the 
length of the period of courtship since 
3 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



37 



civilization began, and will probably con- 
tinue to do so. 

It is only when the engagement has been 
made and formally announced that etiquette 
can have anything to do with the matter. 
A couple once betrothed, and the betrothal 
made public, have placed themselves, in a 
measure, in the hands of society, and must 
yield in some degree to social obligations, if 
they wish to avoid invidious comment. 

Wedding Preliminaries. 

After the wedding day is fixed the hap- 
py couple are especially obliged to con- 
form to the rules of etiquette, there being 
fixed laws laid down for every detail of the 
subsequent ceremonies. One thing should 
be borne in mind, that the wedding belongs 
to the family of the bride. It is their afiair 
to send the invitations, provide the music, 
the decorations, the wedding breakfast, etc.; 
the duties of the groom being restricted to 
providing the certificate, naming the clergy- 
man, and a few others. The announcement 
of the engagement is generally followed by 
a dinner given by the parents of the bride, 
to which some of the relatives of both fami- 
lies are invited . Subsequent dinners are apt 
to be given by relatives and intimate friends 
of the engaged couple. 

The gentleman's parents, relatives, or 
friends call as speedily as possible upon the 
young lady and her parents or guardians. 
The selection of the wedding day is usually 
left to the choice of the bride- elect and her 
mother, and to their taste are similarly left 
such details of the occasion as the arrange- 
ment for the wedding, the character of the 
trousseau, or bridal outfit, the breakfast or 
reception, the choice of bridesmaids, the 
style of the ceremony, etc. 

Any time of the year may be regarded 
as suitable for a wedding to take place, 
though certain periods, such as Easter week, 
are often preferred. In Europe there is a 
strange prejudice against the month of May. 
As regards the day of the week, Wednesday 
or Thursday are apt to be selected ; while 
Friday is looked upon as unlucky. In this 
country Friday holds the same doubtful 
position, but any other day of the week, and 
any month of the year, are quite in order. 



Marriage is regulated in this country by 
the laws of the State, a license being re- 
quired in some States, and not in others. 
This the intending husband should procure, 
he being accompanied by the father, guar- 
dian, or near relative of the lady, that the 
requisite information required by the law 
may be given. 

The bridal trousseau does not include 
plate, china, furniture, or any household 
ware, but is restricted to the bride's attire, 
of which sufficient is usually provided to 
last during the first few years of wedded 
life. Too great a quantity of wearing ap- 
parel is to be avoided, whatever the wealth 
of the bride or her family, since the rapid 
changes in fashion are likely to make some 
of it useless before it can be worn. The 
extent and character of the trousseau, of 
course, must be governed by the means and 
taste of the bride and her family. 

Bridal Gifts. 

The custom of presenting gifts to the 
bride has grown until it has become much 
of a burden and something of a farce, from 
the absolute uselessness of many of the arti- 
cles sent and the annoying duplication that is 
likely to take place . In every case the presents 
should be in accordance with the means and 
probable style of living of the recipients, 
and as far as possible in harmony with their 
tastes and surroundings. Nothing is more 
ill-advisedthantosend some gorgeous orna- 
ment for a plain, simply furnished house. 
Simple, tasteful selections, however, are 
rarely out of place, and there is a wide 
choice of articles which every family can 
use. The variety is endless, ranging from 
the costliest silver and jewels, clocks, lamps, 
fans, odd bits of furniture, camel's hair 
shawls, etc., down to a pretty vase, a bit of 
embroidery, a picture, or a piece of china 
painted by the hand of a friend. No one 
should hesitate to send a present whose 
money value is small, such gifts are often 
the most welcome, and a present which 
owes its existence to the donor's own labor 
is regarded as especially flattering. 

Gifts are usually packed where they are 
bought, and sent directly from the shop to 
the bride's house- They should be sent 
during the week preceding the wedding, and 



38 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



not less than two days before the event. It 
is so customary to make an exhibition of 
the presents on the day of the wedding or 
the preceding day, that it is very necessary 
that they should arrive in good time. 

The display of the wedding presents is a 
point to be decided according to the bride's 
wishes. Some people think it ostentatious, 
others devote much time and care to their 
arrangement, and it is undoubtedly gratify- 
ing to many to be permitted to see them. 

Onerule, however, \sinvariable — thebride 
must acknowledge every gift by a personal 
note. It must be borne in mind that the 
gifts are hers, her own private property, 
which she can claim from the hands of the 
sheriff, if misfortune supervenes, and leave 
by will to whom she elects. Of course, 
gifts may be sent specially intended for the 
groom . 

If people do not know what to send, or 
what the young couple require, they should 
take some means to discover, for nothing is 
more annoying than to receive duplicate 
presents. It is not uncommon for soup- 
ladles, butter-knives, tea-urns, and other 
articles of table use or house ornament to 
be given so profusely that the young couple 
are almost as well fixed to set up a store as 
to begin housekeeping. 

It is customary for the gentleman to 
make his bride a present of jewelry to be 
worn at her wedding, where his means will 
permit him to do so. If a wealthy man, he 
often presents the bridesmaids with a sou- 
venir of the occasion, a fan, bracelet, ring, 
or bouquet. He buys the wedding ring and 
furnishes the bride's bouquet ; but there his 
privilege or duty ends. The bride's family 
supply the cards, carriages, and wedding 
entertainment. 

Flowers. 

The bride's bouquet should be composed 
exclusively of white flowers, such as gard- 
enias, white azaleas, or camellias, with a 
little orange blossom intertwined. It is the 
privilege of the groomsman to procure and 
present this to the bride. 

It is generally considered a delicate at- 
tention on the part of the bridegroom to 
present a bouquet to his future mother-in- 
law. This may be composed of choice vari- 



ously colored flowers, whilst those of the 
bridesmaids should be white, with an edging 
of pale blush roses. These also are pre- 
sented by the groom. 

To save trouble and anxiety with regard 
to bouquets, it is the best plan to order them 
from some practical florist. He will know 
exactly what to send, and will deliver them 
fresh on the day of the marriage. 

The Bridesmaids. 

The bridesmaids are usually selected 
from among the sisters of the bride, or her 
cousins or friends. The head -bridesmaid is 
ordinarily her most intimate friend. Oc- 
casionally the sisters of the bridegroom as- 
sist as bridesmaids, but the bride's own 
sisters should always be given the prefer- 
ence. 

The number of the bridesmaids, of 
course, must be governed by circumstances. 
Six is a usual number, though more are 
frequently selected. An even number must 
always be chosen. 

The dress of the bridemaids is usually of 
some light white material . They frequently 
wear wreaths and veils, but of a lighter and 
less costly character than those of the bride. 
Bonnets are often worn instead of veils. It 
is desirable for them all to be dressed as 
nearly alike as possible. 

In this country the bridesmaids either 
provide their own dresses or may accept 
them from the bride. 

The Groomsmen. 

The number of groomsmen must corres- 
pond to that of the bridesmaids. These 
gentlemen have little to do, with the ex- 
ception of the first or principal grooms- 
man, who is charged by the bridegroom 
with the management of the whole affair, 
and should be furnished by him with money 
to pay all the expenses. He is usually his 
brother or most intimate friend. 

Where a ring is used he should take 
charge of it, and present it to the bride- 
groom at the proper moment. He must 
hand the minister his fee, and pay the sex- 
ton and other persons entitled to payment 
their legitimate charges. 

It is his duty to undertake all the ar- 
rangements for his friend on- ^he eventful 
90 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



39 



day, and to see that they are properly car- 
ried out. 

The dress of the groomsmen should be 
similar to that of the bridegroom, the dress 
worn being that suitable to the hour of the 
day, in the same fashion as for any other 
entertainment. They should be dressed as 
nearly alike as possible. 

The Bride. 

After the wedding invitations are issued 
the bride does not ordinarily appear in pub- 
lic. On the morning of the wedding day 
she usually breakfasts in her own room, and 
remains there till the hour arrives to dress 
for the ceremon3^ It is the privilege of the 
bridesmaids to perform this service. 

The bride's costume is, as a rule, of 
white, either silk or satin, or of material in 
accordance with the means of the parties. 
A bridal veil of lace or of tulle is usually 
worn. The gloves, of course, should be 
white, and the shoes of w^hite kid 
or white satin. It is customary for 
the bride to make some slight presents 
to the bridemaids on the morning of the 
marriage. These should be simple, it be- 
ing borne in mind that the gift is merely to 
serve as a memento of the occasion, and 
that no article of much value is demanded. 

After dressing, the bride remains in her 
room until the carriage is announced, or the 
time has arrived to descend to the drawing 
room if it is to be a home wedding. The 
bride's carriage is the last to leave the 
house. It should contain but one occupant 
besides herself — her father, or the person 
selected to give her away at the altar. 

The Ceremony. 

The ushers are selected by the gentle- 
man, though the lady is generally consulted 
in the choice. Six is the number ordinarily 
chosen, and their duties are to show people to 
seats in the church, and to present the guests 
to the bride and groom at the wedding recep- 
tion. They, and the groomsmen as well, 
should all wear boittonnitres , or button-hole 
bouquets, made of some handsome white 
flowers. 

The bridal procession is formed by the 
ushers, who walk first two and two, fol- 
lowed by the bridesmaids, also two and two : 



then the child-bridesmaids, if this pretty 
custom is adopted, and then the bride, lean- 
ing on her father's right arm. Sometimes 
the children lead the others. At the altar 
the ushers separate, moving to the right and 
left, the bridesmaids do the same, thus leav- 
ing room for the bridal pair. 

Upon the entrance of the bridal party 
within the doors of the church, the organist 
will play a " Wedding March," and as they • 
take their places at the altar will change 
this to some low, subdued, but sweet and 
appropriate melody, which he should con- 
tinue with taste and feeling throughout the 
service . As the bridal party leave the church , 
the music should be loud and jubilant. 

The front pews in the church should be 
reserved for the families and especial friends 
of the happy pair. These are generally 
separated from the others by a white ribbon 
drawn across the aisle. 

The wedding party should stand accord- 
ing to the positions decided upon by the 
wishes of the bride and groom. Usually 
the bride takes her place upon the left of 
the groom, her father stands a little in ad- 
vance of the rest, behind the couple, and her 
mother just in the rear of her father. The 
bridesmaids group themselves on the left of 
the bride, the groomsmen on the right of 
the bridegroom, all in the rear of the prin- 
cipals. 

The clergyman, who should be already 
in his place, at once begins the marriage 
ceremony. 

When a ring is used, to avoid the long 
delay of drawing off the glove, brides now 
cut the finger of the one on the left hand, so 
that it can be slipped aside to allow the 
putting on of the ring ; this is the routine al- 
most in variably followed at church weddings. 

The responses of the bride and bride- 
groom to the clergyman should be given 
clearly and distinctly, but not in too loud a 
tone. On the conclusion of the ceremony 
the newly-married couple and their attend - 
ants withdraw in much the same manner as 
on advancing, the bride now taking her 
husband's left arm. 

The Wedding Breakfast. 

The English fashion of a wedding-break" 
fast is now often followed in this country, 



191 



40 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



the guests being specially invited a fortnight 
in advance. On such an occasion the gen- 
tlemen, on reaching the house, leave their 
hats in the hall ; but the ladies do not re- 
move their bonnets. 

In going to the table, the bride and 
groom precede, then the bride's father with 
the groom's mother, the groom's father with 
the bride's mother, the best man with the 
first bridesmaid, the other bridesmaids with 
gentlemen selected as their escorts, and 
finally the remaining guests. The dishes 
usually provided are bouillon, salad, birds, 
oysters, ices, jellies, etc. 

The health of the bride and groom is 
proposed, usually by the groom's father, 
and response is made by the father of the 
bride. The health of the bridesmaids may 
also be proposed ; but the occasion is ordi- 
narily more pleasurable if strict formality is 
dispensed with. 

After remaining for an hour or two with 
the guests, the bride retires to change her 
wedding dress for a traveling costume. 
She is met by the groom in the hall, the 
necessary good wishes and kisses are ex- 
changed, and the pair drive away, often fol- 
lowed by a shower of rice and slipperr?. 

As regards the desideratum of wedding 
cake, it is no longer the fashion to send it ; 
but small boxes of it, neatly tied with white 
ribbon, are prepared, of which each guest may 
take one upon leaving the house, if desired. 

What is above said relates to the mar- 
riage of a maiden. In the case of the mar- 
riage of a widow certain changes in dress 
and ceremony are requisite. A widow must 
never be attended by bridesmaids, nor must 
she wear a veil or orange blossoms ; the 
proper dress at church is a colored silk and 
bonnet, pearl gray or some other delicate 
shade being preferable, though she is privi- 
leged to wear white if she desires. She 
should be accompanied by her father, 
brother, or some near friend. 

A House Wedding. 

A fashionable wedding at home calls 
into requisition the services of both florist 
and caterer ; the former to decorate the 
rooms, the latter to furnish the marriage 
feast. A variety of floral devices may be 
employed, from the marriage bell and mono- 



gram to a bower of ferns large enougk to 
receive the bride and bridegroom. 

The par, of the room to be occupied by 
the bridal party should bt marked off by a 
white ribbon. After the clergyman has 
taken his place, the bride and groom enter 
together, followed by the mother, father, 
and other friends. Hassocks should be 
ready for the bridal pair to kneel upon, in 
case this is deemed necessary as a part of 
the ceremony. 

Where money is lacking to defray the 
charges of florist and caterer, or in country 
localities where their assistance cannot be 
had, the loving hands of friends may decor- 
ate the rooms with foliage and blossoms, 
and the table be supplied with simple dishes 
such as the household means can furnish. 
Wedding-cake, light cakes, ices, and coffee 
arranged on a table prettily ornamented with 
flowers is a sufficient entertainment at a 
quiet home- wedding, and, let it be added, is 
in far better taste than a more ostentatious 
display which is beyond the means of the 
family, and leaves a burden of debt behind. 

In fashionable circles, after the return of 
the bridal party the members of both fami- 
lies give a dinner in their honor, and the 
bridesmaids, if able to do so, give them 
some entertainment. 

Brides sometimes announce, when send- 
ing out their wedding-cards, two or more 
reception days ; but they do not wear their 
wedding-dresses, though their toilettes may 
be as handsome as they desire. When in- 
vited to balls or dinners, however, the wed- 
ding-dress is perfectly appropriate for a 
bride to wear — of course without the wreath 
and veil. 

Sending Cards. 

In some circles the young couple send 
out cards with their wedding invitations, 
stating the day and hour they will receive 
callers after their return from their wedding 
tour. No one who has not received such 
a card should call upon a newly married 
couple. Such cards should be as simple 
and unostentatious as possible. Where 
they are sent out, the wedding journey must 
be terminated in time to allow the new 
couple to be at home at the time indicated 
for the reception of their visitors. 
92 



BOOK OF ETIQUETl. 



^- 



Visitors should call punctually at the 
time appointed. In some places it is cus- 
tomary to offer the guests wedding-cake and 



wine. The mother, sister, or some intimate 
friend of the bride must assist her in receiv- 
ing these calls. This rule is imperative. 



IX. FUNERAL ETIQUETTE. 



The great sorrow brought upon a family 
by the death of one of its members often 
renders the immediate relatives incapable of 
properly attending to the arrangements nec- 
essary for the funeral. The services of a 
near friend or a relative, therefore, are often 
availed of, he being informed of the wishes 
of the family, and relieving them of all fur- 
ther care, by himself taking charge of every- 
thing needing to be attended to. 

The ladies of the family, before the 
funeral, see none except intimate friends, 
and may with propriety deny themselves 
even to those. 

Immediately after a death the relatives 
and intimate friends of the deceased should 
receive some notification of it. An under- 
taker must also at once be summoned, and 
the arrangements and details of the funeral 
be left to him. Notices should be inserted 
in one or more of the daily papers of the 
time and place of the funeral services, etc. 

In some parts of the country it is custom- 
ary to send notes of invitation to the funeral 
to the friends of the deceased and of the 
family. These invitations should be printed, 
neatly and simply, on mourning paper, with 
envelopes to match, and should be delivered 
by a private messenger, where convenient. 

A v/ritten notification, however, is fre- 
quently sent where only a few are to be 
specially invited, the newspaper announce- 
ment being trusted to inform those less 
closely connected. 

The expense of a funeral should be in 
accordance with the means of the family. 
It is a foolish form of pride and ostentation 
that induces the members of a family to load 
themselves unnecessarily with debt in order 
to make a showy funeral display. All 
marks of respect should be shown to the 
dead, but undue expense is more indicative 
of a desire on the part of the living to im- 
press their friends and neighbors than a 
genuine desire to do honor to the one who 
has passed away. 



Where invitations are sent out, a list of 
persons invited must be given to the person 
in charge of the funeral, in order that he 
may provide a sufficient number of carria- 
ges. Those invited should not permit any- 
thing but an important duty to prevent 
their attendance. 

The House Services. 

When the funeral is at the house, some 
near relative or intimate friend should act 
as usher, and show the company to their 
seats. 

A decorous silence should be preserved 
in the chamber of death, no one speaking 
except in low, sabdued tones. The mem- 
bers of the family are not obliged to recog- 
nize their acquaintances. The latter show 
their sympathy b)^ their presence and con- 
siderate silence. 

The cofi&n, if in good taste, will never 
be unduly elaborate or over ornamented. 
A black cloth casket, with plain silver 
mountings, is preferable to any other. 

The clergyman usually stands in a posi- 
tion as nearly as possible midway between 
the family and assembled friends, so that his 
words may be heard by all. The family re- 
main seated together, usually in some room 
upstairs, and never appear until it becomes 
necessary to enter the carriages. If the 
funeral be in church, they occupy the front 
pews, the intimate friends sitting immediate- 
ly behind them. 

Six or eight of the most intimate male 
friends of the person who has died are in- 
vited by the family to act as pall-bearers. 
On the day of the funeral they assemble at 
the house, and the undertaker provides each 
of them with black gloves and a mourner's 
scarf. They walk with their heads uncov- 
ered beside the coffin, up the aisle, if the 
services be held in church, and also escort 
the body to the grave. They usually sit in 
one of the front pews, reserved for their use, 
while the funeral services are being con- 
ducted. 



193 



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BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Flowers. 

With regard to sending flowers, the 
wishes of the family should be considered. 
If you are uncertain upon this point, it is 
safe to send them. They should be simple 
and tasteful, also in keeping with the age of 
the person who has been removed by death. 

As the sending of elaborate floral designs 
has been much overdone of recent years, it 
is becoming frequently the custom not to 
send flowers to houses of mourning, and in 
many funeral notices a request is made to 
this effect. Whatever flowers are received 
are usually placed upon the cofiin during 
the services, and afterwards carried to the 
cemetery to be laid on or a few laid in the 
grave. 

In preparing the body for the grave, the 
usual custom is to dress it in the garments 
worn in life ; but young people are fre- 
quently laid out in white robes. 

It is optional with the ladies of the fam- 
ily to attend the remains to the last resting 
place or not, as they may prefer. And of 
recent years the invitation is generally to 
the house only, notification being given 
that the funeral will be private. This is a 
judicious innovation, in the direction of 
economy and the avoidance of ostentatious 
display, and it is one that is likely to grow 
among people of taste and judgment. 

After the funeral, only the members of 
the family return to the house, except in the 
case of friends or relatives from distant 
cities, and a widow or mother may properly 
refuse to see any others than her nearest 
relatives for several weeks. 

Mourning. 

The length of time for wearing mourning 
has greatly decreased during the past five 
years, as formerly there was such an exag- 
geration of this that sometimes the young 
people in a family were kept in constant 
black, owing to the death of successive 
relatives. 

For deep mourning, black stuff dresses, 
heavily trimmed with black crape, and long 
crape veils, are worn. During the second 
period the crape is left off, and plain black 
alone is used ; and for half-mourning light 
black, black silks, black and white, or cos- 
tames of mauve or grey, can be worn. 



194 



For gentlemen, at first plain black che- 
viot suits, with broad crape bands on their 
hats, and black gloves. For the second 
period they cease to wear black clothes, 
varying these by dark suits of black and 
grey, and the width of the crape hat-band 
is narrowed. For half-mourning the black 
hat-band is the one emblem of grief retained. 

A widow should wear deep mourning 
for twelve months, plain black for the 
second year, and half-mourning for six 
months. 

For parent, brother, or sister, the usual 
time of wearing mourning is one year ; for a 
young child, six months ; for an infant, 
three months. 

There is much difference of opinion in 
regard to the wearing of mourning dresses, 
many objecting to doing so for what they 
consider excellent reasons. In truth, the 
mourning attire aids to keep up the feeling 
of grief, and to depress where some means of 
enlivening the feelings is desirable. Yet it 
serves as a protection to those whose deep 
sense of loss induces them to avoid many 
social duties, and who Vv'ould escape from 
thoughtless and painful allusions. It is a 
matter, in short, that must be governed by 
the feelings and sentiments of those directly 
concerned. 

During the first period of mourning it is 
not considered becoming to visit places of 
amusement or to enter social life or indulge in 
gaiety of any kind. After a certain time 
elapses — six months or a year, according to 
the depth of the mourning — a person is at 
liberty to go out quietly to concerts, theatres, 
informal dinners, etc. 

It is customary to send a few words of 
sympathy to the family after a death has 
taken place. Such letters should be brief 
and written with real interest and afiection, 
otherwise they had better be omitted. 

During a period of mourning, note paper 
and visiting cards are usually edged with a 
black border, the width of this to be deter- 
mined by the depth and recency of the 
mourning. The very wide band is exagger- 
ated, ostentatious, and in bad form. 

No invitations of any kind should be left 
at a house of mourning, until after a lapse 
of a month or more, according to circum- 
stances. Then, cards to balls, weddings, 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



43 



and general entertainments may properly be 
sent. When persons who have worn black 
are ready to resume their social life, they 



should leave cards with all their friends and 
acquaintances, either in person or by send- 
ing them through the mail. 



X. ANNIVERSARY AND OTHER OCCASIONS 



Among the festivities which society pro- 
vides for its enjoyment, that of the anniver- 
sary wedding has of late years come greatly 
into vogue. It is a pleasant custom, and has 
been gradually extenaed until numerous 
anniversaries of the wedding day, differ- 
ently named, are celebrated with appropri- 
ate ceremonies. Beginning with the silver 
and golden wedding, on respectively the 
twenty-fifth and the fiftieth anniversaries, 
there have been gradually added various 
others, such as the wooden wedding on the 
fifth, the tin wedding on the tenth, the 
crystal wedding on the fifteenth, the linen 
or china wedding on the twentieth, and, as 
an occasion of exceedingly rare occurance, 
the diamond wedding on the seventy-fifth 
anniversary of the marriage. 

This is not the whole list, much ingenuity 
having been exercised in adding to the fre- 
quency and diversity of these anniversaries, 
and to those named may be added the iron 
wedding, celebrated after one year of mar- 
ried life ; the paper wedding, on the second 
anniversary ; the leather, on the third ; the 
straw, on the fourth ; the wooden, on the 
seventh ; the ivory, on the thirtieth ; the 
coral, on the thirty-fifth ; the woolen, on the 
fortieth ; and the bronze, on the forty-fifth. 
It is now a common custom, however, to 
overlook all the anniversaries preceding the 
silver wedding. 

Gifts and Invitations. 

A leading feature on these occasions is 
the sending of gifts, which are expected to 
be made of the material which gives the 
name to the wedding, and much ingenuity 
is exercised in selecting or inventing suit- 
able presents, those of an amusing kind 
being often a leading feature. 

Invitations to any of these occasions 
should be appropriate in design. For in- 
stance, the straw wedding cards may be 
printed on straw-colored stationery , the ivory 
wedding cards on ivory, and the bronze 
wedding cards in a similar way. For the 



silver wedding the cards may be printed in 
letters of silver, and in golden letters for 
the golden anniversary. 

An appropriate form of invitation, say 
for a silver wedding, will be as follows : 

1870. Mr. and Mrs. Brown 1895. 

Request the pleasure of your company. 

On Monday , June the Ninth, 

At eight o'clock P.M., 

SiivVKR Wedding. 

W1LI.1AM Brown. Susan CampbeIvI<. 

Many persons omit the names at the end, 
and in some cases an exact copy of the mar- 
riage notice, taken from the newspapers of 
the wedding period, is made to serve the 
purpose. A second form is here appended : 

1850. 1900. 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wilson, 

At Home, 

May fourth, igoo, 

at eight o' clock P.M., 

Golden Wedding. 

The entertainment may be similar to 
that supplied at any reception, with the ad- 
dition of a large wedding-cake, containing a 
ring, which the bride cuts just as she did 
twenty-five years before. 

As to character of the gifts, there is 
abundant scope for selection, with the gen- 
eral remembrance that they should be in 
consonance with the name of the anniver- 
sary. In the case of a wooden wedding, for 
instance, there is an opportunity for the be- 
stowal of beautiful gifts in wood- carving, 
handsome pieces of furniture and picture 
frames, as well as the regulation wooden 
rollers, chopping trays, etc., for the kitchen. 
Bits of birch-bark are frequently used for 
the invitations. 

Tin weddings have become occasions of 
special liveliness, and much ingenuity is 
exercised in devising amusing gifts. One 
young wife received from her father-in-law 
a check, marked "tin," enclosed in an 
elaborate tin pocket-book. The tin utensils 



195 



44 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



used in the kitchen and household furnish 
an abundant variety for choice. Tin fun- 
nels holding bouquets of flowers and tied 
with ribbons are usually numerous, and the 
glittering metal, adorned with bows of rib- 
bon of every hue, is very effective when dis- 
played on a table. The invitation is usually 
printed on a bit of tin. 

On the fifteenth anniversary, or crystal 
wedding, the invitations are frequently crys- 
talized, while the gifts may embrace every 
variety of glassware. The linen wedding is 
more rarely celebrated, many persons con- 
sidering it unlucky. The Scotch have a 
superstition that if any allusion is made to 
this anniversary, one or other of the married 
couple will die within the year. 

The silver wedding is usually a joyous 
occasion. The bride and groom are still in 
the prime of life, their children are of the 
age for a full enjoyment of festivity, and 
their circle of friends is likely to be complete. 

Those who receive invitations usually 
send some present composed of silver, which 
may be as trivial or as costly as the donor 
chooses. They are generally marked " Sil- 
ver Wedding," or bear some appropriate 
motto with the initials of the couple en- 
closed in a true lover's knot. The variety 
of articles is almost endless, — silver clocks, 
photograph frames, belt-clasps, mirrors, 
brushes and combs, and other toilet articles 
set in solid silver, and the long array of 
table-ware. 

The golden wedding is a much less fre- 
quent occasion, and far less likely to be a 
joyous one. Age has crept upon the prin- 
cipals, and is creeping upon their children 
and friends, life has grown sober, and its 
pathway is apt to be strewn with many som- 
bre memories. 

As articles of gold are apt to be more 
expensive than many of those invited care 
to give, flowers are frequently made to do 
duty in their place — preferably yellow ones. 
As for the diamond wedding, the seventy- 
fifth anniversary, it is so rare an occasion 
that no description of it is necessary. Of 
course, it calls for presents of jewelry, 
though, as in the case of the golden wed- 
ding, guests may replace them with some- 
thing less expensive and more appropriate 
to the age of the married pair. 



196 



Christenings. 

Another occasion incident to married 
life, is the christening, which next demands 
consideration at our hands. 

When children are to be christened at 
home, it is rapidly becoming the custom to 
celebrate such events by giving some sort of 
a social entertainment, the size or arrange- 
ment of which depends upon the taste and 
circumstances of the parents. If many are 
to be present, the invitations should be sent 
out formally, as though for an afternoon re- 
ception. The usual hours selected are from 
4 until 6 P.M. Upon a small table a silver 
or china bowl should be placed, which is 
used as a font. Flowers in abundance are 
never in bad taste at a christening. 

After the clergyman has performed the 
baptism, a beverage called "caudle" is 
served in cups to the guests. 

Recipe for viakmg Caudle. — This should 
be made of fine, smooth oatmeal gruel, fla- 
vored with wine or rum, lemon peel or nut- 
meg, and sugar added according to taste. 
Of course, in the case of a church christen- 
ing no house-entertainment is called for, 
and a family party is all that is likely to 
come together. 

Private Theatricals. 

The private theatrical provides an enter- 
tainment which is daily growing in popular- 
ity both in England and our own country. 
Sometimes a stage is erected in a private 
house, but more frequently small theatres 
are engaged, where the performance takes 
place. 

Instruction, or " coaching," is as a rule 
given to the amateur performers by some 
professional manager, actor, or actress en- 
gaged for the occasion, and is essential if 
any satisfactory entertainment is hoped for. 
Rehearsals are equally necessary and must 
be frequent to insure success. 

For tableaux it is better to have the 
advice and taste of some clever artist, as the 
beauty and interest of the human pictures 
depend so largely upon the posing and 
drapery of the figures, to say nothing of the 
effect of the lights and the choice of colors. 

Entertainments of these kinds may take 
a considerable variety of forms, and are 
very pleasant breaks in the monotony 0/ 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



45 



party giving and the other set affairs of 
ordinary life. The time spent in prepara- 
tion, however, is likely to be considerable, 
and the result is often more farcical than the 
performers intend or understand. 

Etiquette for General Occasions. 

There are, or should be, rules of eti- 
quette applicable to every situation, the 
home circle, the street, the store, the travel- 
ing conveyance, and in short for all the 
occasions in which men and women are 
brought together. These consist mainly in 
observing the ordinary requisites of polite- 
ness, the avoidance of rude or selfish behav- 
ior, and of any actions likely to hurt the 
feelings or offend the tastes of those with 
whom chance or social relations bring us 
into contact. It is not sufl&cient for the 
demands of society that we are morally cor- 
rect ; correctness in deportment is no less 
important, and there are numbers of small 
observances required from any one who 
wishes to keep on the correct side of the line 
which divides good manners from ignorant 
or boorish behavior. 

Etiquette of the liousehold. 

First among these requisites comes the 
etiquette of the home circle, in which the 
principle of politeness and courtesy are 
often laid aside as a consequence of care- 
less habits and selfish egotism. Good man- 
ners are too often a cloak which is flung 
aside like a needless burden as soon as the 
home threshold is crossed, yet there is no 
place where kindness and thoughtfulness 
should be considered as more important, 
and in which neglect of the small courtesies 
of life are so likely to wound or distress . 

Certainly the true gentleman or lady will 
endeavor to be as courteous and considerate 
in the familv circle as among strangers, and 
equally avoid impatient and cutting remarks 
or lack of polite attention. Some few re- 
marks on the rules of propriety for the 
home will not come amiss. 

The house should be kept in as good 
order for the comfort of the family as when 
strangers are expected, and the members of 
the household should be careful to act in 
drawing-room or at table as if a guest were 
present. Formality, indeed, is not called 



for, but ease of manner does not imply 
rudeness, and politeness should never be 
laid aside. 

Only a few leading suggestions can be 
here given. These will suggest others to 
all who attend to them. First, it is import- 
ant to make special efforts to be punctual at 
meal time. Nothing interferes with the regu- 
lar movements of the household, or disturbs 
the equanimity of the hostess, more than 
carelessness or irregularity in this respect. 
To have to keep food warm for the late 
comer, or perhaps to cook it afresh, is a need- 
less waste of time and labor, and is apt to 
add to the household expenses. 

Do not fail to rise and offer a chair on 
the entrance of an older person, or at all 
events an infirm person, to the room in 
which you are seated, and never precede an 
older person in entering or leaving a room, or 
in ascending stairs. Do not permit children 
to occupy the pleasantest seats, to the depri- 
vation of their elders, or to be annoyingly 
intrusive when older persons are engaged in 
conversation. The "children's hour" 
should not be permitted to encroach upon 
that of their elders. Never enter any per- 
son's room without knocking. 

Be careful to give any one who desires 
to read full access to the light. Avoid mak- 
ing unnecessary noise on coming home late 
at night, and in this way disturbing the re- 
pose of the household. Gentlemen who are 
in the habit of smoking at home should 
confine their devotions of the cigar to a single 
room , and avoid careless distribution of ashes 
or matches on floors or tables. 

If callers are likely to drop in to meals, 
it is advisable to have a seat at the table re- 
served ; and a room should also be set aside, 
where possible, for chance visiting friends. 
In every case a welcome should be ready, 
and every indication of being discommoded 
be sedulously avoided. 

As regards the intercourse of the immedi- 
ate members of the household, it will suffice 
to say that, while formality can well be laid 
aside, politeness and courtesy should never 
be forgotten. 

Table Manners. 

In conclusion a few rules of importance 
in table manners, familiar to most, but too 



197 



46 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



often carelessly ignored, may be given. The 
napkin should be spread over tlie knees, 
not fastened at the neck or tucked into a 
button hole. It should be folded after using, 
if the hostess folds hers. 

The fork should be held in the palm of 
the left hand. If in the right, it should be 
used with the prongs upward, and held be- 
tween fingers and thumb. 

Avoid bending over the plate, drooping 
the head too low, thrusting the elbows out, 
or sitting with the back turned toward the 
person in the next chair. 

Be careful not to take large mouthfuls 
nor to eat too hastily or heartily. 

Never hesitate to take the last piece of 
bread that may be offered. A refusal to do 
so would be a reflection upon the hostess, 
suggesting that she had not provided fully 
for her guests. 

In regard to rarer dishes, however, it is 
wise to show no inclination for more, if the 
supply on the table seems small. 

Never play with napkin ring, fork, or 
other article, and keep the hands off the 
table when not employed. Never leave the 
table till the meal is over, and avoid reading 
newspapers, books, etc., at table unless alone. 

Never use a spoon to eat vegetables. A 
fork is the proper thing. Never take butter 
from the dish with your own knife, or use 
it except on your own plate. It is scarcely 
necessary again to give warning against 
putting the knife in the mouth. Yet this 
unpardonable breach of table etiquette is 
often committed by persons whose training 
should have taught them better. 

The table should be a centre of cheerful 
and enlivening conversation, and too close 
attention to the duty of eating should be 
avoided, alike from reasons having to do 
with healthy digestion, and the desirability 
of every one striving to bear a part in the en- 
tertainment of the family circle. The table 
is the one place where all the family meet at 
leisure, and where they should seek to make 
themselves agreeable. 

Etiquette of the Street. 

Courtesy requires the return of all civil 
greetings — those of servants included. 
Only the most serious causes can justify 
"a cut." 



In bowing, the head should be bent ; a 
mere lowering of the eye-lids, affected by 
some people, is rude. Etiquette does not per- 
mit a familiar nod, except between business 
men or very intimate friends. In passing and 
repassing on a public promenade or drive, 
bows need to be exchanged only at the first 
meeting. In carrying canes, umbrellas, and 
packages, care should be taken not to dis- 
commode passers with them. This is par- 
ticularly needed in the case of raised um- 
brellas, which are often carried with care- 
less disregard of the convenience of others. 
This is one annoying way in which selfish- 
ness is shown. 

At a street crossing it is the duty of 
gentlemen to make way for ladies, and 
younger for older persons. In walking or 
driving, the rule to keep to the right will 
enable all to avoid danger of collision. 

A gentleman should always offer his 
arm to a lady in the evening. In the day 
this is only in order in case of the pavement 
being slippery, there being a crov/d, or the 
lady being old or needing support. If there 
are two ladies, he should offer his arm to 
one, and let the other walk beside her. 

In the Electric Car. 

If a gentleman desires to offer his seat 
to a lady, he should not beckon to her, but 
rise and offer it to her courteously. It is 
the duty of the lady, in accepting the seat, 
to acknowledge his courteous attention by 
a bow and an audible expression of thanks. 
On the other hand it is an indication of ill- 
breeding to show signs of displeasure if, on 
entering a crowded car, no seat is offered. 
It should be borne in mind that the gentle- 
man has a right to his seat, and is under no 
obligation, except that of politeness, to give 
it up , and weariness or weakness may render 
it inadvisable for him to rise. No lady, if 
young or strong, will expect or permit an 
old gentleman to relinquish to her his seat. 
If, however, a lady is ill or greatly fatigued 
she should not hesitate to request a seat, 
giving her reasons for doing so. No gentle- 
man, and few who are not gentlemen, would 
refuse such a request. 

No gentlemen will take a vacant seat 
while ladies are standing, and none should 
stand on the car platform in such a manner 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



47 



as to discommode alighting passengers . It is 
easy and courteous to move aside, and step 
down into the street if necessary . If baskets 
or bundles are brought into the car care 
should be taken not to let them annoy 
passengers. 

Etiquette of Business. 

Never forget that time is precious to 
some persons, though you may be ready to 
waste it ; also that money is necessary, and 
that it is every one's duty to settle all debts 
as promptly as possible. 

Never fail to have all the details of an 
agreement decided so far as they can be 
before the transaction is concluded, and 
bear in mind that a contract can be broken 
only by the consent of all the parties con- 
cerned. 

Never keep washer- women, seamstresses, 
nor any one dependent upon daily labor 
waiting for payment, and, on the other hand, 
when requesting payment of a debt, avoid 
liny unpleasantness of tone or manner. 

Never buy on credit, if cash can be bad. 
This is a rule of common sense and practi- 
cal economy. 

Never forget that a character for fair 
dealing is a capital that cannot be lost. Do 
not think it unnecessary to learn the min- 
utest details of any business, nor imagine 
mat success in any business can be attained 
without a thorough training for it. 

Never fail to be courteous in all busi- 
ness intercourse ; a pleasant manner will do 
much to insure success. 

Never insist on entering any business 
office, if told that its occupant is not at lei- 
sure. Courtesy requires that you should 
Quietly await his leisure, or offer to call 
again if time will not permit you to wait. 

Etiquette of the Club. 

Doubtless, while there are few members 
of ciubs who do not have a sufficient know- 
ledge of the rules of etiquette governing 
them, some may desire information on cer- 
tain points, and it is for the benefit of the 
latter that the following brief directions are 
given : 

All members should become familiar 
with the regulations, and rigidly obey them. 

You have a full right to vote against 



the admission to a small social club of any 
one whose society is not agreeable tc you. 
It would destroy the pleasure of such a club 
if all its members were not congenial. Yet 
you should not allow personal prejudice to 
influence you in voting upon the admission 
of a new member of a large club. Is the 
gentleman's record clear, and is he in ah 
respects a worthy associate for gentlemen ? 
This is the only question to be asked. 

Never persistently propose for member- 
ship of a small club a name that has been 
refused. Avoid any conduct likely to be 
disagreeable or disobliging to fellow-mem- 
bers. A gentleman should be as courteous 
in a club-house as he would be in his own. 

Do not talk loudly in reading-rooms or 
library, and never misuse books, news- 
papers, nor other club property. 

It is selfish and impolite to monopolize 
the best arm-chair, to make a practice of 
dining early to secure an extra share of a 
favorite dish, or to require special attention 
from waiters to the discomfort of other 
guests. 

Avoid showing anger in political or re- 
ligious discussions, or making a personal 
matter of an argument. Do not seek to 
force your opinions on others against their 
will. 

Never mention the names of ladies in the 
club, or show idle curiosity about other 
members. 

Never send an employee out of the club- 
house on any private errand without first 
requesting permission of the clerk or super- 
intendent. 

If the guest of a club, do not take 
the liberty of introducing any one else ; but 
the guest of a club is expected to avail him- 
self of all the privileges of its members. 

When a gentleman is admitted to the 
privileges of a club through the courtesy of 
a member, he is expected, when his tempo- 
rary membership ceases, to pay any debts he 
may have incurred, for if he omits to do 
this his club-host is obliged to settle his 
account for him. 

Etiquette of Traveling. 

Ladies should wear neat traveling 
dresses ofsuitable material and simple style, 
display as little jewelry as possible, and 



J99 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



carry the smallest amount of baggage by 
hand. It is important to have the initials 
or full name on all trunks. 

Never attract attention by loud talking 
or laughing, and, if under the escort of a 
gentleman, do not annoy him with needless 
requests. Always repay a gentleman any 
traveling expenses, no matter how trivial. 

A lady when traveling alone, should, if 
possible, arrange to be met at the station by 
some friend. In arriving at a station in a 
large city where she is a stranger, she should 
avoid taking a hack, choosing instead horse- 
cars, or the stages plying between stations. 

While always acknowledging with 
thanks any courtesy offered, young ladies 
should avoid entering into unnecessary 
conversation with or accepting favors from 
men who are strangers. 

Older ladies are privileged to offer ad- 
vice or assistance, should occasion require, 
to young ladies traveling alone. 

It is courteous for a gentleman to offer 
to buy tickets, and check the baggage of a 
lady who is traveling under his care ; but 
he should first take her to the ladies' wait- 
ing room, not leave her standing on a 
crowded platform. He may also offer to 
get her refreshments, newspapers, or books, 
and — if the journey is a long one — invite 
her to walk up and down the platform at 
the stations. If, by any accident, the 
friends expected fail to meet a lady at the 
station, the gentleman escorting her should, 
if possible, go with her to her destination. 

A gentleman may offer to help a lady, 
even if she is a stranger, whenever she seems 
really in need of aid. For instance, if she 
is laden with many parcels, or has several 
children with her who must be transferred 
from boat to car, or station to station. 

Two gentlemen, strangers to each other, 
may talk together if agreeable to both ; but 
it is wise to discuss only general topics. 

Gentlemen may offer to open or shut a 
window for ladies ; but should never pre- 
sume upon a chance civility thus extended, 
by attempting to use it as a means of enter- 
ing into conversation with them. While 
not regarded by all persons as obligatory, 
it is always courteous for a gentleman to 
offer his seat to a lady who is standing in 
any public conyeyance. 



No gentleman should smoke in cars (n 
other places when ladies are present, spit on 
the floors in cars or stations, be r'r.obliging 
in a smoking-car by refusing to change his 
seat to accommodate a party who may de- 
sire to play some game, or accept a light, 
or any trifling civility, from a fellow passen- 
ger, without any expression of thanks. 

Before entering boat, train, or car, give 
the passengers who are in the act of leaving 
time to get off. Before taking a seat just 
vacated wait a sufiicient time to see if its 
former occupant intends to return. 

It is ill-bred to complain about the tri- 
vial discomforts that fall to every traveler's 
lot, and make uncomplimentary compari- 
sons between one's own home and the place 
where one happens to be. 

Never occupy more than one seat in 
crowded conveyances, and if you have 
placed a parcel on a empty seat, cheerfully 
remove it whenever it is needed. Do not 
take the seat beside any person in a steam- 
car without asking if it is engaged. 

Never incommode fellow- travelers by 
opening a window which forces them to sit 
in a draught — it may be an affair of life and 
death to delicate persons. 

Table Etiquette for Children. 

It may not be out of place to add here 
a few good old rules for children's behavior 
at table which can safely be io.' lowed : 

Give the child a seat that snail be strictly 
its own. 

Teach it to take its seat auietly. 

To use its napkin properly. 

To wait patiently to be served. 

To answer promptly. 

To say " thank you." 

If asked to leave the table for a forgot- 
ten article, or for any purpose, to do so at 
once. 

Never to interrupt and never to contra- 
dict. 

Never to make remarks about the food. 

Teach the child to keen his plate \v 
order. 

Not to handle the bread nor to drop 
food on the cloth and floor. 

To always say " excuse me, please," to 
the mother when at home, and to the lady 



200 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



4^5 



or hostess when visiting, if leaving the 
table before the rest of the party. 

To fold its napkin and to put back its 
chair or push it close to the table before 
leaving. 



And after leaving the table not to return. 

Children who observe every one of these 
rules are well-behaved, delightful com- 
panions, and owe it to their mothers 's care 
ful training. 



XI. FORMS OF INVITATIONS 



XI. Forms of Invitations. 

In issuing invitations for any occasion , 
they should be sent out as nearly as possi- 
ble together, and in ample season. If they 
be for a large reception, dinner, or similar 
entertainment it is best to send them a week 
or two in advance; and for a ball, in the 
height of the season , two or three weeks . No 
one should be invited at the last moment, 
except it be an intimate friend, who can be 
trusted to excuse lack of ceremony. 

For large or formal occasions, such as 
dinners, balls and receptions, use plain 
cards, or note-paper, engraved in plain 
script. It the invitations be written, small 
white note-paper, of the best quality, should 
be used, and the writing done carefully, 
with proper attention to the arrangement of 
words. 

-Invitations to Parties. 

The following will serve as a correct 
form for a note of invitation to a private 
party : 

Mrs. William H. Johnson 

requests the pleasure of 

Mr. and Mrs. James Browns' company 

On Thursday eveni7ig, April eighth, 

from ni7ie to twelve o'clock. 

As an example of a suitable reply we 
give the following : 

Mr. and Mrs. fames Brown have much 
pleasure in accepting Mrs. William H. fohn- 
son's kind invitatio7i for Thursday eveni?ig, 
Ap?il eighth. 

Or, if circumstances render it necessary 
to decline, the cause of declination should 
be courteously stated, as follows : 

Mr. and Mrs. fames Brown regret that 
a previous engagement to dine zvith Mrs. 
Rowla?id deprives them of the pleasure of ac- 
cepting Mrs. William fohnson'' s kind invita- 
tion for Thursday evening, April eighth. 



The reasons for declining may be very 
varied, but should be distinctly stated. " A 
previous engagement ' ' has often to do duty 
in this case. 

A prompt reply must invariably be made 
by all who recognize the obligations of 
courtesy, and it may be well to give one or 
two examples of an uncivil manner of re- 
plying, into which well-meaning persons 
sometimes fall through ignorance or care- 
lessness : 

Mr. and Mrs. Brown regret that they can- 
not accept Mrs. William H . fohnson' s ijivita- 
lion for Friday evening. 

A still ruder form is : Mr. and Mrs. 
Brown decline Mrs. fohnso7t' s invitation for 
Friday eveni^ig. 

It needs little knowledge of the laws of 
etiquette, however, co teach people not to 
commit such glaring incivilities as the 
latter. 

A simple form of invitation t© an even- 
ing party is the following : 

Thzirsday, May seventh. 
Mrs. regit ests the pleasure of Mr. 



's company at an Evening Party, Thurs- 

day. May twenty-eighth. 

A71 a7iswer tvill oblige. 

Da7icing. [Music, or any special attrac- 
tion] . 

The answer, which should be returned 
within a day or two, may be similarly brief; 



Mr. has 7nuch pleasiwe i/i accepting 

Mrs. 's polite i7ivitation for Thursday 

eve7ii7ig , the twe7ity-eighth. 

Saturday, May niiith. 

Short or verbal invitations should never 
be given, even among relations and intimate 
friends. These are discourteous, as imply- 
ing that the persons invited are of no im- 
portance. 



20 E 



201 



3" 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Dinner Invitations. 

Dinner invitations are written or en- 
graved in the name of both husband and 
wife : 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wilson 

request the pleastire of 

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Clayton's company at 

dinner 

November eighth, at seven o'clock. 

An acceptance should be worded as 
follows : 

Mr. a?id Mfs. Samuel Clayton 

accept, with pleasure, 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wilson' s kind 

invitation to dine with them, 

on Monday, November eighth, at seven o'clock. 

An invitation to dinner, once accepted, 
should be held as little less than a sacred 
obligation. Only disabling sickness or 
other extreme necessity should be permitted 
to stand in the way of its being kept ; and 
then, if time permits, immediate notice, 
with reason for same, should be given. A 
dinner party is carefully arranged for a set 
number, and one or more empty chairs are 
sure to disturb the completeness of the 
occasion, and cause heartburnings to host 
and hostess. A late invitation to fill the 
gap is usually sent, with proper explanation, 
to some friend who may be depended upon 
to overlook the informality. 

Invitations should be issued in the name 
of the hostess, except those to weddings and 
dinner parties. 

R. S. V. P., the initials of the French 
phrase " Respondez, s'il vous plait," or 
" Please reply," may be written in the 
light- hand lower corner of an invitation if 
an answer is particularly needed. Its use, 
however, is becoming less frequent, since it 
tacitly implies that the recipient needs a 
reminder. In a dinner invitation it is 
especially unnecessary, since nothing can 
be more discourteous than to fail in an 
immediate answer. The day and hour 
named should be repeated in the answer, to 
avoid possible misunderstanding. If guests 
are asked to meet a distinguished gentle- 
man, or lady, this should be mentioned in 
the card of invitation, directly after the 
hour of dinner ; for instance : 



At seven o'clock, to meet 
Mr. John P. Wallace, 
of London. 

Or an extra card may be inserted with the 
regular invitation, saying, " to meet Mr. — ,'• 
etc. 

Here is an example of an invitation to a 
reception specially designed for this pur- 
pose : 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Jacksoii 

request the honor of your presence 

on 

Tuesday evening, November fifteenth, 

from eight until eleven o'clock, 

to meet the 

Rev. Professor Patton 

of the 

University of Pennsylvania, 

R. S. V. P. lie/ Locust Avenue. 

Invitations to large entertainments, re- 
ceptions, etc., may be sent to persons in 
mourning if the bereavement has not oc- 
curred within a month ; but etiquette per- 
mits them to refuse without assigning a 
reason, sending, however, on the day of 
the entertainment, black -bordered visiting- 
cards, which announce the cause of their 
absence. Invitations to dinners and lunch- 
eons should never be given to persons in 
recent affliction. 

Always direct an answer to an invitation 
to the person or persons who issue it, even 
though they may be strangers to you. 
Always answer an invitation to dinner or 
luncheon at once, accepting or refusing 
positively. The reason is obvious ; the 
number of seats being limited, a prompt 
reply gives the entertainer an opportunity 
to supply your place. Should illness, a 
death in the family, or any other reason 
prevent the keeping of a dinner engage- 
ment, a letter or telegram should be imme- 
diately sent, stating the fact. All invita- 
tions, in fact, should be answered with as 
little delay as possible. 

When issuing invitations to a family, 
direct one to the husband and wife, one to 
the daughters, and one to the sons. The 
daughters' names may be placed after the 
parents on the same card, but not the sons. 



202 



BOOK OF ETIOUETTE 



51 



Notes of invitation to a gentleman should 
be addressed Mr. A. B. Cohen, never K. B. 
Cohen, Esq. Gentlemen must never be in- 
vited without their wives, nor ladies with- 
out their husbands, unless to entertainments 
given exclusively to gentlemen or to ladies. 

Small Entertainments. 

Visiting-cards must not be used either 
to accept invitations or to regret the neces- 
sity of declining them, though invitations 
to small entertainments may with propriety 
be written on a lady's visiting-card. 

A less formal mode of invitation to an 
evening reception may be the following : 

Mrs. Smith, 
At Home, 
Tuesday, May ninth, at nine 0'' clock, 8^p 
Greeri Street. 

If dancing, music, or other entertain- 
ment is provided, it can be mentioned in a 
word at the bottom of the invitation. 

We append below an invitation to a 
musical and card party, with acceptance 
of same : 

Hilton, January i, ipo2. 
Dear Mrs. NuttalIv : 

We purpose having a small party for imisic 
and cards 7iext Thursday , and hope that yoti, 
your husband, and the dear girls will join us. 
If you can favor us with your company , please 
ask the young ladies to bring their violins and 
music, ajid do 710 1 be later than eight o' clock. 
We unite in kindest love to you all. 
Believe me, most affectionately yours, 
Lois Markley. 

accepting. 
My Dear Mrs. Markley : 

We shall have mitch pleasure in accepting 
your kind iyivitation for Thursday next. 
Edith desires me to give you her love, and 
to say that she is delighted at the prospect of a 
musical evening ; she will bring all your 
favorite selectio7is, and do her best to play 
them. With our united regards, believe me, 
yours affectionately, 

SUSANA NUTTALL. 

''The Willows,'' 
January twelfth, ipo2. 



203 



Where there are several sisters in a 
family, addressed on an invitation as " The 

Misses ," it is usually understood that 

not more than two of them will avail them- 
selves of the invitation. 

Invitations for any general entertainment 
sent to a country house where guests are 
stopping, are, as a rule, addressed to " Mr. 

and Mrs. , and party," this invitation 

being expected to include the sons and 
daughters of the family as well as the visit- 
ors. 

Form of English Invitations. 

The following is the style often used in 
England for invitations to garden parties, 
etc. : 

Mr. and Mrs. Jones 

request the pleasure of 

Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's 

company at a gardefi party on Tuesday, fune 

7iinth, at four 0' clock. 

Collation at seve7i 0' clock. 
Da7icing 8 to 11 . 
10 Corson Place. R. S. V. P. 

For afternoon teas, etc. , the visiting-card 
of the hostess, with simply "Tea at four 
o'clock," and the date in the left-hand cor- 
ner, is all that is necessary, or possibly " At 
home from four until seven." 

Wedding Invitations. 

Invitations to marriage ceremonies are 
issued in the name of the bride's parents, 
or, if both are dead, in the name of a near 
relative or guardian. Paper without crest 
or monogram is considered the best to use 
so far as good taste is concerned. The ac- 
cepted form is as follows : 

Mr. and Mrs. Robinson 

request the pleastire {prho7ior~) of your C077ipa7iy 

at the ma7'riage of their daughter 

Mary Burd 

to 

Mr. James Howard Wilson, 

at St. fa7nes' Church, on T7cesday , Ju7ie te7ith, 

a t tivelve 0' clock. 

Separate cards are sent if the wedding 
ceremony is to be followed by a reception at 
the parents' residence, the formula used be- 
ing " Mr. and Mrs. Smith at home, etc/' 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



To avoid confusion at the church a small 
card is 'sometimes enclosed with the invita- 
tion, on which the name of the church and 
the hour for the ceremony are printed. 
Such cards must be presented at the door, in 
order that, to avoid a crowd, only such 
friends as have received invitations to the 
wedding may be comfortably seated. 

In case no reception is given, and the 
newly-married couple wish to announce to 
their friends their new abode, a card in the 
following form may accompany the invita- 
tion : 

At Home; 
Tuesdays in May. 

48g Gree7i Street 
Philadelphia. 

In the case of house weddings, or when 
recent bereavements demand that the wed- 
ding shall be private, it is now customary 
to invite intimate friends by written invita- 
tions, and send simple announcements of 
the event to those not expected to be present. 
In such cases the stationery used should be 
of the same quality and style as for the 
invitations. The announcement may read 
as follows : 



Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Wellingtojt 

Announce the Marriage 

of their Daughter 

Catharine 

to 

Mr. Jatnes Howard, 

Saturday, September ninth. 

Philadelphia, 

ipo2. 

An invitation to an anniversary wedding 
may be couched in the following form. If 
no presents are desired, the invitation should 
explicitly say so, otherwise it will be taken 
for granted that they will be acceptable : 

iSjy I go 2 

Mr. and Mrs. Ayidrew Lewis 

request yotir presence 

at the 

Twenty-fifth Anniversary of their Wedding 

Wed)icsday Evening, March eighth, 

ip4. Lombard Aveyiue, 

New York. 

No presents. 



General Invitations. 

In addition to the forms of invitation to 
more or less formal occasions above given, 
notes inviting to various informal meetings 
may take forms familiar or the reverse, in 
accordance with the degree of intimacy of 
the parties.' A few forms will suflQce as ex- 
amples : 

New York,fune8, ipo2. 
My dear Mr. Wilson : 

A few of us are arrangijig for a?i 
excursion to Bolton Springs on the i^th inst. 
We should be very glad to have you as one of 
the party. We shall be three days absent 
from town. If you can make it convenient to 
accompany us, we are sure you can count on 
an enjoyable time. Be kind eiiough to let me 
k7iow within a day or two, a7id believe me 
Sincerely yours, 

A.B. 

lo Brown Street, 
New York, December i8, igoi. 
Dear Mr. Wilsofi : 

Can you make it convenient to run 
over to New York on Christmas day, and drop 
in on our small fa^nily party f You can cou?it 
on a hearty welcome, and a fair allowance of 
the enjoy 7nents of the seaso7i. 

Yours very truly, 

Henry Smith. 

As examples of more familiar notes of 
invitation, between intimate friends, the 
following will suffice : 

Dear Harry : 

So77ie of us are expecti7ig to spend a few 
hours jovially , next Wednesday eve7iing with 
a glass of wine a7id a cigar as enlive7iers . I 
hope you will make 07ie of the party, a7id shall 
hold a chair for y 071. 

Yours as ever 

Will. 
Dear foh7i : 

Our old frie7id Harvey Wilso7i has J7ist 
got ho77ie f-om his Western trip. I have 
asked hi7n a7id his cousi7i fames to take a chop 
with vie to-mo7'7'ow at six p. in., a7id wa7it 
y 071 as a good fourth. Do7i' t fail me. You 
know what a good fellow Wilso7i is. 

Yours faithfully , 

H. P. fones. 
204 



LIUUK OF ETIQUETTE 



»» 



My Dear Mary : 

A few friends will be with us on Friday 
evenings the 8th inst. , to share a social cup of 
tea and have an hour'' s chat. Can we count 
^n the pleasure of your company ? 

f. S. White. 

My Dear fennie : 

Your kind request is at hand. I shall be 
glad to accept it, and hope to eyijoy both the 
lea and the chat. 

Yours cordially, 

Mary Moore. 

My Dear Sir : 

We start next Tuesday for the Cats kills, 
by private conveyance . There is room for one 
more in our carriage, and we should be glad 
to have yoic fill the vacant space. I trust no 
inconvenie7it engagement will hinder your 
acceptance. 

Yours socially, 

William Black. 
Mr. S. D. Henderson. 



Invitation to a Carriage Ride. 

Hillsdale, Ohio, October j, ipoi . 
My dear Miss Barry : 

In these bracifig Autumn days, when the 
foliage is so beaiUiful, I am sure you will 
enjoy a ride for an hour or more. It will 
give me great pleasure to have your company 
for a ride on Saturday afternoon next, and 
I hope you will have 710 previous e^igagement 
at that ti?ne. 

Sijicerely yours , 

Francis Thome. 

Reply of Lady to Invitation. 

" The Cedars.'' 
Dear Mr. Thorne : 

It is, indeed, very kind of yott to think of 
my pleasure. The prospect of a ride for Sat- 
urday afternoon is very attractive. 

I shall be pleased to go with you, and shall 
await you at three o'clock Saturday. 
Sincerely, 

Bertha Barry . 
October fourth, ipoi. 



XII. ART OF LETTER-WRITING 



A correspondence between two persons 
is simply a conversation reduced to writing. 
We should write to an absent person as we 
would speak to the same party if present. 
To a superior, we ought to be respectful ; to 
a parent, dutiful and affectionate ; to a friend, 
frank and easy ; and clear and definite in our 
expressions to all. 

Conciseness is one of the charms of 
letter-writing. A letter should contain the 
desired facts, ideas, and feelings ; but they 
ought to be expressed as briefly as per- 
spicuity and elegance will permit. 

Lengthened periods are as much out of 
place in a letter as they would be in conver- 
sation, for they tire the reader even more 
than they would the hearer. When written , 
their faults are also perceived with much 
less difficulty than when spoken. 

When the party to whom a letter is ad- 
dressed is uninterested in the subject on 
which it is written, the writer of it should 
display a brevity which will attract atten- 
tion and insure a perusal. No unnecessary 
ornament should be used, nor, in fact, any- 



205 



thing introduced but what is important and 
bears strongly on the case stated, or the 
inquiry made. 

To an absent friend, on the contrary, a 
lengthy epistle, well filled with details of 
passing incidents, is likely to prove welcome 
and interesting, and one may venture even 
upon prolixity if sure that his correspondent 
has a strong interest in the subject, and is 
likely to desire minute details concerning it. 

Style in Correspondence. 

The style of the letter may rise with the 
subject, and with the character of the person 
written to. In a familiar epistle an effort 
at dignity of style is misplaced, but such is 
not the case where the person addressed is 
superior in position or character, or where 
the subject is one demanding seriousness 
and dignity. For instance, the death of a 
friend or relation, a calamity, or any cir- 
cumstance of grave importance, should not 
be communicated in the same manner as a 
trifling occurrence, or even a happy event : 



tf4 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



brevity, in the latter case, is beauty ; in the 
former, it would be deemed unfeeling and 
abrupt. 

Express your thoughts in simple English 
and in legible writing. The latter should 
be clear and bold. Never write carelessly 
or hurriedly ; read the letter over before 
sending ; and, if writing more than one let- 
ter at a time, be cautious that such are not 
put in the wrong envelopes. Great atten- 
tion should be paid to correct punctuation. 

As to writing material, the shape and 
size of paper and envelopes are not so im- 
portant as the quality. They should be 
plain white, with no colored border (except 
the black border when in mourning), and 
of substantial texture. The address of the 
writer, printed neatly at the head of the 
sheet, should take the place of any attempt 
at ornament. 

Fold all letters evenly, and put the stamp 
in the upper right-hand corner. Remember 
to enclose a stamp when writing to a stranger 
concerning your own affairs. Use postal 
cards only for ordinary business communi- 
cations ; never for friendly correspondence 
or in writing to any one who might be 
annoyed by having his or her occupation 
made public. 

Take the trouble to spell correctly. Be 
careful to write dates, numbers and proper 
names plainly. Date a note, at the conclu- 
sion, on the left-hand side of the page; a 
letter at the beginning, on the right hand. 
Sign a letter with a full name, or with the 
last name and initials. In business corre- 
spondence sign "yours respectfully," "your 
obedient servant," "yours truly," or "yours 
sincerely." Place the name and address of 
your correspondent at the upper left-hand 
corner of the page. 

Let your signature suit the style of the 
letter — a business communication should 
bear a formal, a friendly note, a cordial con- 
clusion. Between intimate friends and rel- 
atives no formal rule is laid down for the 
beginning and ending of letters. The 
etiquette of letter-writing should only be 
considered between strangers or slight ac- 
quaintances. In these cases it is well to 
preserve a mean between cold formality and 
familiarity. 



Forms of Address. 

The conventional forms are "Sir,' 
"Dear Sir," "My Dear Sir," or "Ma- 
dam," "Dear Madam," or "My Dear 
Madam." Either of these can be used, 
but to a total stranger ' ' My Dear Sir ' ' is 
rather too cordial, and to an acquaintance 
" Sir " is too formal, unless there is a pur- 
pose to convey coldness of feeling. When 
writing to persons of your own social class, 
though strangers, " Dear Sir" or " Dear 
Madam " are used in preference to " Sir " 
or " Madam." 

A married lady should not sign herself 
"Mrs.", nor an unmarried one "Miss," 
except in writing to a stranger who will 
need to reply. In this case the full name 
should be signed, as " Miss Susan Blake," 
or " Mrs. Mary Brown." Mrs. and Miss 
may be enclosed in parenthesis. Letters to 
married ladies are usually addressed with 
the initials or names of the husband, ' ' Mrs. 
John P. Smith," etc. Widows and unmar- 
ried ladies should only be addressed with 
their christian names, " Mrs. Mary Smith " 
or "Miss Fanny Jones." The eldest 
daughter or unmarried lady of the family 
should be addressed "Miss" simply, the 
christian name being omitted. " Mr." and 
' ' Esq. ' ' cannot be used simultaneously. A 
letter must be addressed either like the fol- 
lowing examples, to " Mr. R. H. Smith" 
or to " R. H. Smith, Esq." When a letter 
is addressed to the Hon. James Blank, the 
' ' Esq. ' ' must not follow. 

Never use the husband's title in direct- 
ing a letter to the wife, as "Mrs. Gen. 
James Bancroft," or "Mrs. Rev. John 
Pearl." 

Do not cross a letter, put the most im- 
portant part of it in a postscript, or sign it 
in the first person, if it has been written in 
the third. Never fail to answer promptly, 
in case the communication requires an 
answer. 

When a note is commenced ' ' Sir ' ' or 
"Dear Sir," it is usual to write the name 
of the person addressed at the end of the 
letter or note in the left-hand corner, or it 
may be put before the commencement ; foi 
instance, "To R. H. Smith, Esq.," but in 
this case it must not be repeated at the 
bottom. 



206 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



55 



A son of the same name as his father 
is addressed in this way : " R. H. Smith, 
Jr., Ksq." 

L,etters or notes to servants usually be- 
gin with the servant's name, and then the 
directions follow in the third person ; ex- 
ample : ' ' To Mary Smith : Mrs . Brown 
will return home on Saturday next, ^tc." 

Address a clergyman " Reverend Sir " 
or " Dear Sir," and direct the envelope to 
" Rev. John Blank; " or if the initial is 
not known, to " Rev. Blank." 

Address a doctor of divinity ' ' To the 
Rev. John Hall, D.D.," or the " Rev. Dr. 
Hall." 

Address a doctor of medicine "J. B. 
Blank, M.D.," or " Dr. J. B. Blank," or 
" Dr. Blank." 

Address a bishop "To the Right Rev. 

the Bishop of ," or "To the Right 

Rev. H. C. Potter, D.D., Bishop of 



and begin the letter " Right Rev. Sir," or 
" Right Rev. and Dear Sir." 

Address foreign ministers as ' ' His Ex- 
cellency and Honorable." 

lyCtters to the President should be ad- 
dressed "To His Excellency, the President 
of the United States," or " President of the 
United States." 

Cabinet officers should be addressed 
"To the Honorable J. C. Blank, Secretary 
of State," "To the Hon. , the Post- 
master-General," etc. 

In writing to Senators or members of the 
House, address " To the Hon. ." 

Officers of the army or navy are ad- 
dressed by their titles, as " General Wilson 
Earle," " Captain Paul Jones," Admiral 
William Harvey," etc. The members of a 
college faculty are addressed as ' ' Profes- 
sor," and their particular title may be ad- 
ded after the name, as "D.D. ", "I,Iv.D," 
etc. This addition of titular abbreviations 
applies as well to scientists, physicians, and 
all others whose special college title may be 
known to the writer. 

Letters of Recommendation. 

A letter of recommendation should be 
composed with careful attention to its state- 
ments. It is a guarantee for the party 
recommended, and truth should never be 
sacrificed to condescension, false kindness 



or politeness. To write a letter of recom- 
mendation contrary to one's own opinion 
and knowledge of the person recommended, 
is to be guilty of a great imprudence. 

To say all that is necessary, in a clear 
and distinct manner, and nothing more, is 
the grand merit of a letter on business of 
any kind. Pleasantry and pathos would be 
greatly misplaced in it, unless it embraced 
some other subject than the business one. 
Brilliant diction is a dress in which direc- 
tions on business should never be clothed. 
The style ought to be precise, sufficiently 
copious to leave no uncertainty, but not re- 
dundant. Every thing necessary should be 
stated, plainly and unequivocally ; so that 
the party addressed may be in full posses- 
sion of our desires and opinions on the sub- 
ject involved. Ambiguity is nowhere so 
unpardonable as in a letter on business. 

Letters of Introduction. ' 

Letters of introduction are one of the 
common methods of establishing social rela- 
tions. The person who is not known to 
your friend can become known through 
your kind offices. In this way, very often, 
important services can be rendered. 

Never give a letter of introduction un- 
less you thoroughly understand the charac- 
ter and manners of the person to whom you 
write the letter and also of the person whom 
the letter introduces. 

You have no right, to avoid giving of- 
fence, or through sheer inability to say no 
to a request, to foist upon your distant 
friend some one for whose acquaintance he 
will not thank you and who may prove a 
very undesirable visitor. If one or the 
other of the two parties concerned must be 
offended, let it be the applicant. You can 
usually give some sufficient reason for de- 
clining — but decline in any event, if the 
person is likely to prove objectionable. 

As such a letter cannot well enter into 
particulars, it is customary and desirable to 
notify your friend by mail of the fact that 
you have given a letter of introduction to 
such a person, and tell him what further it 
is well for him to know concerning the 
character and purpose of his probable visi- 
tor. If you have given such a letter to a 
party of whom you do not approve, all that 



207 



56 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



remains is to warn your friend privately, 
placing him on his guard against a possibly 
objectionable person. 

A letter of introduction (unless sent by 
mail) should be delivered, unsealed, by the 
writer of the letter to the bearer of the in- 
troduction, and should be closed by the 
latter before delivery to the party to whom 
it is addressed. If purely a business intro- 
duction and one which can be delivered 
personally, it may remain unsealed. 

The bearer of a letter of introduction 
should send it to the house of the person to 
whom it is addressed, together with a card 
on which should be written his address. It 
is not in order to deliver it in person, since 
this may force the party addressed into a 
position which he may prefer to decline. It 
does not follow, because a friend has chosen 
to introduce you to another, that this other 
may not have private reasons for declining 
your acquaintance, or may be prevented 
from seeing and entertaining you by stress 
of other engagements. If he lives in a large 
city, the letter may make him feel obliged 
to escort you to the various places of in- 
terest, or in any case to invite you to meals 
or other entertainments. We should not 
tax the time or the purse of a friend, except 
for a satisfactory reason. 

The letter delivered, there is nothing 
more to be done until the party receiving it 
calls upon you or sends you some card or 
note of invitation. Those who receive such 
letters should, within twenty- four hours, if 
possible, take some kindly notice of them by 
a call or an invitation. 

A letter of introduction must be care- 
fully worded, stating clearly the name of 
the person introduced, but with as few per- 
sonal remarks as possible. It suffices in 
most cases to say that the bearer is a friend 
of yours, whom you trust your other friend 
will receive with attention, or you may state 
his profession, object in traveling, etc. In 
traveling, one cannot have too many letters 
of introduction. It is the custom in foreign 
towns for the newcomer to call on the resi- 
dents first, a hint that may prove acceptable 
to persons contemplating a long or short 
residence abroad. 

A letter of introduction of a business 
nature may be delivered by the bearer in 



person, since it requires no social obliga- 
tions. In style it should resemble other 
business letters ; that is, it should be brief 
and to the point. 

If a stranger sends you a letter of intro- 
duction, and his or her card (for the law of 
etiquette here holds good for both sexes), 
good form requires that you should not only 
call next day, but follow up that attention 
by others. If you are in a position to do so, 
the next correct proceeding is to send an 
invitation to dinner. Should circumstances 
not render this available, you can probably 
escort the stranger to some exhibition, con- 
cert, public building, museum, or other place 
likely to prove interesting to a foreigner or 
provincial visitor. In short, etiquette de- 
mands that you shall exert yourself to 
show kindness in some desirable way to the 
stranger, out of compliment to the friend 
who introduced him to you. 

If you invite strangers to dinner or tea, 
it is a higher compliment to ask others to 
meet them than to dine with them alone. 
You thereby afford them an opportunity of 
making other acquaintances, and are assist- 
ing your friend in still further promoting 
the purpose for which he gave the introduc- 
tion to yourself. Be careful at the same 
time only to ask such persons as you are 
quite sure are the stranger's own social 
equals. 

Letters of Congratulation or Condolence. 

Epistles of this kind need to be very 
carefully written. Unless there is some 
actual sympathy in the mind of the writer, 
they had better, in many cases, be left un- 
written, since they may serve the opposite 
purpose to that designed. A verbal expres- 
sion of feeling, where there is no feeling, is 
apt to fail of its intention. If such a letter 
prove difficult to compose, it is likely to 
seem studied, cold, and formal. Simplicity 
and ease of expression are necessary ele- 
ments in a note of condolence or compli- 
ment. 

A letter of congratulation should avoid 
any indication of other than unselfish good 
feeling in the writer. The slightest show of 
envy or jealousy at the good fortune of those 
whom we felicitate is unpardonable. It 
should on no account contain a hint of any 



20a 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



57 



hope that the advancement, or change of 
situation, tipon which the compliment is 
made, may afiford the person addressed the 
means of conferring a benefit on the party 
writing. 

Such a letter should, in fact: be an un- 
mixed expression of pleasure and congratu- 
lation on the event that calls for its pro- 
duction. But care must be taken to keep 
within due bounds ; to exaggerate in our 
congratulations may be to seem satirical. 

In a letter of congratulation we should 
be cheerful ; from an epistle of condolence 
all pleasantry should be banished. When 
addressing a person who is laboring under 
any grievous calamity, it is bad taste to 
make light of it ; to treat that loss as a 
matter which might be endured calmly, by 
a little firmness on the part of the party 
who has su£fered it, has the effect to irritate 
rather than soothe. One should seek to 
enter into the feelings of the mourner, to 
eulogize the departed relation, to rebuke 
the ingratitude of the false friend, to confess, 
the inconstancy of fortune, or otherwise, 
according to the circumstances ; and, with- 
out magnifying, to lament the affliction. 

Language like this is balm to the 
wounded mind, which rejects consolation 
from those who do not seem sensible of the 
extent of the sorrow under which it labors. 
But such a subject must be treated with a 
delicate hand, for an exaggerated expression 
of sympathy may give the appearance of 
insincerity, and of a strained endeavor to 
condole. In such a case it may aggravate 
the depression which it seeks to remove. 

Replying to Letters. 

Every letter, that is not insulting, merits 
a reply, if it be required or necessary. If 
the letter contains a request, it should 
either be acceded to gracefully and without 
ostentation, or refused without harshness. 
An answer to a letter of condolence or of 
congratulation should be grateful. The 
subjects should succeed each other in proper 
order, and the questions put be consecu- 
tively answered. In familiar correspond- 
ence a greater latitude of arrangement is 
allowed ; but even in this no question 
should be left^ unanswered. In all replies it 



209 



is usual to acknowledge the receipt, and to 
mention the date, of the last letter received: 
if this be neglected, your correspondent may 
be left in doubt, and ma}^ through mis- 
understanding, hold you guilty of some 
offense. 

Punctuation. 

Punctuation is a matter of the utmost 
importance in every species of literary com- 
position ; without it there can be no clear- 
ness, strength, or accuracy. Its utility 
consists in separating the different portions 
of what is written in such a manner that 
the subjects may be properly classed and 
subdivided, so as to convey the precise 
meaning of the writer to the reader. It 
shows the relation which the various parts 
bear to each other, unites such as ought to 
be connected, and keeps apart such as have 
no mutual dependence. 

It is much to be lamented that so little 
attention is paid to this important subject. 
As there is no positive system of punctu- 
ation to direct the writer, the modern edi- 
tions of good authors should be carefully 
studied, in order to acquire the leading 
principles of the art. The construction of 
sentences may be examined, and the mode 
adopted of dividing them attended to with 
considerable advantage. 

One cannot expect, perhaps, in this 
manner to become an expert in punctua- 
tion, but may grow suflSciently familiar with 
its essential elements to make no serious 
errors. The mode of placing punctuation 
marks permits of considerable latitude, and 
it is advisable not to be too profuse in their 
employment. The use of the comma is fre- 
quently very faulty through carelessness 
in this particular, dividing parts of sen- 
tences which naturally cohere, and being 
dropped in the centre of a phrase in which 
it is absurdly out of place. The natural 
halting points for the reader, or slight 
breaks in the sense, should be duly consid- 
ered, and a mark placed in consonance with 
the degree of this break. The comma and 
the dash do duty with many as the only 
elements of punctuation, the latter being 
much over used, through a desire to escape 
the necessity of considering the proper 
mark required. 



58 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Postscripts. 

Lady writers have been accused, and 
perhaps with some reason, of often reserv- 
ing the most important part of a letter for 
the postscript. It is an accusation which 
they should avoid giving cause for. Post- 
scripts are, for the most part, needless, and 
in bad taste. It is best to pause a few mo- 
ments before concluding a letter, and reflect 
whether we have anything more to say. 
Above all things, none should defer civili- 
ties or kind inquiries to this justly-despised 
part of a letter. To do so is a proof of 
thoughtlessness or disrespect. " My kind- 



est regards to my cousin lyucy," added as a 
postscript, looks like what it really is — an 
after-thought ; and is, therefore, not only 
without value, but, to persons of fine feel- 
ings, offensive. 

To all writers something will bccasion- 
ally occur, after finishing the letter, which 
it is important to state. If to have for- 
gotten it implies no disrespect it may 
properly be added as a postscript. But if 
it should indicate a forgetfulness which 
may possibly offend the recipient, the whole 
letter had better be rewritten, and the 
after-thought put in its proper place. 



XIII. FORMS OF CORRESPONDENCE. 



Having given in the preceding sections 
some hints as to letter-writing and examples 
of notes of invitation, acceptance, and de- 
clination, it seems important to append some 
more diversified examples of letter-writing 
and correspondence, as brief guides to a 
broad domain of social duty and obligation. 
Letters of this kind are endlessly diversified 
in form and purpose, and a few examples, 
chosen largely at random, mustsufl&ce. 

Ordering Goods. 

In ordering goods be careful to state ex- 
actly what you want, and whether you wish 
goods delivered by freight or express. 

It is customary in writing orders to use 
abbreviations for mercantile terms which are 
known among business men. 

Should you wish to ask any questions or 
to make suggestions, write these upon a 
separate sheet from the order itself 

Send your order some time before you 
need the goods, so that you may not suffer 
on account of any slight delay upon the 
sender's part. 

Da7iville, Va., Dec. 20, igoj. 
Strawbridge & Clothier^ 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
Dear Sirs : 

E7iclosed find draft for $y^ on First Na- 
tional Bank of Danville, for zvhich please for- 
ward by U. S. Express : 

6 pairs White Kid Gloves, No. 6. 
J pairs Brown Kid Gloves, No. 6. 



I dozen Linen Handkerchiefs lady's size. 
I $ yards of Silk like sample enclosed. 
The amount overpaid in my remittance you 
may place to my credit subject to future orders. 
Respectftdly , 

{^Mrs^ fulia D. Brown. 

Application for a Situation as Teacher. 

Salina, Kansas , fuly ^ , igo2. 
Gentlemen : 

Understanding that a vacancy for the 
sitiiation of teacher in yoiir school has 
occurred, I beg to offer myself as a candidate, 
and to inclose my certificate and letters of rec- 
ommendation fro7n persons you no doubt 
hiow. While I feel that these can better 
speak for me than I can for myself, I venture 
to assure you that, shoiild you appoint me to 
the position, I shall strive to discharge my 
duties earnestly aiid steadily, ayid shall ever 
?'emai7i, 

Your grateful and obcdie7it serva7it, 

fea7iette Wilson. 
To the Trustees or Pri7icipal of School. 

Introducing a Young Lady Seeking 
Employment. 

Brooklyn, May 2, 190J. 
Dear Mr. Martin : 

This will i7itroduce to you my friend Miss 
Mabel Beeche77i, who is desirous of obtaini?ig 
employ77ie7it i7i your city. I use our old 
acquai7ita7iceship to i7iterest you i7i her behalf. 
She has 7-eceived a very liberal education , a7id 
would prove of great value to a family whose 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



59 



young children need careful a7id judicious 
teaching. She is gentle, amiable, and willing. 
I trust you will be able to serve her, and I 
shall greatly appreciate the attentio7i you may 
give her. 

Very truly, 

Barclay Jones. 
To Mr. Joseph Martin, 

2173 Pine Street Philadelphia , Pa. 

Introducing a Friend. 

St. Louis, Mo., Jan. J, ipoi. 
Dear James B. : 

This letter will introduce to you my dear 
frieyid William White, who is to be in your 
city for a few days on business and pleasure. 
I desire him to meet you and trust it will be 
co?ive7iientfor you to give him, a few moments 
of your time. 

A7iy atte7ition you give hiTTt during his 
stay in Chicago will be greatly appreciated by 
Your friend, 

Charles F. Jenkins. 
Mr. Jam,es B. Smith, 

14.1 Wabash Avenue, Chicago. 

Short Form of Introduction. 

Chicago, III., June 11, ipoo. 
My Dear Sir : 

I have the ho7ior of introducing to your 
acquainta7ice Mr. Frank Ward, whom I com- 
mend to your ki7id attention. 

Very truly yours, 

William S. French. 
Mr. Benj. F. Strong, 
Detroit, Mich. 

Cong^ratulating a Gentleman Upon His 
Marriage. 

Wil7ni7igton, Ohio, Sept. 12, ipoo. 
Dear Frank : 

I have just received the welcome m.essage 
informing m.e of your new happiness. I 
hasten to offer you my most sincere congratu- 
lations and hearty good wishes. May every 
year of your married life fiyid you happier 
than the last, and may Mrs. Cra7ist07i fi7id 
you as loyal a husband as you have bee7i a 
friend. 

From my inmost heart, dear Franks I 



say, God bless you a7id your bride with His 
choicest blessi7igs. 

Ever your friend, 

George Maris. 
Mr. Frank Cra7iston, 

Newport, Del. 

Congratulating a Lady Upon Her 
Marriage. 

179 D St., n: w. 

Washington, D. C, Nov. 4., ipoj 
Dear Emma : 

Your cards have just reached me, and I 
write at 07ice to try to express my heartfelt 
pleasure at your happy prospects. It is a 
great pleasure to your loving friends to be 
able to feel so Tnuch esteem and affection for 
the gentleman to whom you have confided your 
life's happi7iess, and to hope, as I do, that 
every year will U7iite your hearts more closely. 

That Heaven may bless you both, dear 
Emm,a, is the earnest prayer of 
Your loving 

Laura Shipley. 
Mrs. J. Barrie Brown. 

A Letter Sent with a Gift (a Book). 

P77 President St. , 
Brooklyn N, Y., Dec. 20, 190-. 
My Dear Frie7id : — / hope the acco7npany- 
i7ig volume, of which I ask yozcr acceptance as 
a slight tokeii of rny regard, will suit your 
taste. Books are i7i themselves frie7ids, a7id 
are therefore, I thi7ik, the most appropri- 
ate soitvenirs of frie7idship. In fact the cur- 
rent phrase, '^ I k7iow you like a book,'''' al- 
though a vulgaris7n, seems to imply the sa7ne 
i7itiniate relati07i between reader and author 
that should exist betwee7i frie7id a7id frie7id. 
Please apprise m,e of the receipt of the package, 
a7id believe m.e, 

Ever yotirs si7icerely 

fohn Clark. 
To Miss Julia Thomas, Brandywine , Del. 

The Reply. 

Brandywi7ie, Del., Dec. 2j, igo—. 
My Dear Mr. Clark : — Accept my tha7iks 
for your handsome prese7it. You cotild not 



6o 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



have selected a book that would have pleased 
vie better. I think with you that books {of the 
right kitid) should be looked upo?i as agreea- 
ble and useful friends ; but nevertheless the 
frietid whom neither time nor distaiice can 
estrange^ is a treastire of 7no?'e vahie tha7i all 
the vqlumes that ever wei'e pritited. Permit 
me to regard you iii that lights a?id again 
tha7iki7ig yoti for yotir present, to remai?i, 
Sincerely yotirs, 

fulia Thomas. 
To Mr. John Clark, Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Soliciting a Loan from a Friend. 

2'/go N. Broad St. , 
Philadelphia, Sept. p, ipoj. 
My Dear Sir : — Adisappoi7itme7it i7i the 
receipt of so77ie i7i07iey due has exposed me to a 
te7nporary e7nbarrass77ie7it. The sui/t which 
would ext?'icate 7i:ef7'-07n this pai7ifiil difficulty 
is not large, as $4.00 would be amply sufficie7it 
to release me fro7n my prese7it pressure. I 
have so great a7i aversio7i to borrowing vi07iey 
f7'077i professio7ial le7iders, that 1 prefer the 
course of soliciti7ig the aid of so7ne well-known 
frie7id. I have thought of several, but of?io7ie 
with a greater degree of co7ifdence tha7i your- 
self. Can you gra7it me, theft, the acco77i77io- 
datio7i of the above sum, without i7i a7iy way 
i7itre7ichi7ig 07i your ow7i co7ive7iiefice ? If yoit 
can, I believe 1 7nay rely 07i your readi7iess to 
do so ; and yotc may i7i ttcr7i depe7id bei7ig 
rei77ibursed with the strictest piuictuality by 
the ^th of April. A speedy 7'eply to this re- 
quest will extre7nely oblige. 
My dear sir. 

Yours viost si7icerely, 

Joseph Howard. 
To Mr. Frank Thomson. 

In Answer Declining, on Account of 
Incapability. 

lyS^ Mulbeyry Street, 
Philadelphia, Sept. 10, igoj. 

My Dear Sir : — / truly regret that my 
circu77ista7ices will 7iot permit vie to oblige a 
frie7id so dear to me as yourself ; but at 
Present I am 171 great need of mo7iey, a7id last 
Friday I was co77ipelled to borrow, to vieet a 
pressi7ig obligatio7i ; I therefore do not have it 
within i7iy power to comply with your request. 

Trusti7ig that you may be more successful 



212 



i7i so7ne other quarter, a7id with feelings of 
regret at i7iy ow7i i7iability to re7ider you a 
service which you 7nigbt otherwise readily 
com7na7td, 

Believe 'tne to 7^e7nai7i, 
Ever your si7tce7'e frie7id, 

Charles Hall. 
To Mr. foseph Howard, 

No. — Lexi7igto7t Ave., N. Y. 

A Letter to a Friend (on the Anni- 
versary of his Birthday. 

I pi J Gree?i Stree , 

Philadelphia, fuly J, igo-. 
My Dear Walter: — Birthdays 77iay be called 
the vtilesto7ies i7t life' s jour7iey, a/id as you 
reach a7iother of these a7i7iive7'sa}y land-marks 
to-day, per77iit 77ie to co7tgratulate you 07i hav- 
i7ig traveled the 771 thus far i/i safety, and to 
wish you, with all i7iy heart, 77ia7iy si77iilar 
opportu7iities of receivi7ig the good wishes of 
your f7'ie7ids. That your future years i7iay 
glide happily away, withoiit care or sorrow, is 
the si7icere prayer of. 

Yours most si7icerely, 

Tho7nas Meek. 
To Mr. Walter Dewey, 
Crestli7ie, Ohio. 

Reply to the Above. 

Crestline, Ohio,fuly 10, igo~. 

Dear To7n : — Co7igratulatio7is that co7ne 
from the heart, as I a77t sure yours do, are 
always welco7ne. I sca7'cely k7iow, however, 
whether we ought to be C07npii77ie7ited 07i grow- 
i7ig older, U7iless we grow wiser a7id better as 
well. Nevertheless, the custo77i of receivi7ig 
the felicitations of 07ie' s frie7ids a7id acquai7it- 
aiices, 071 havi7ig 77iade a7iother step towaf-d 
the goal, is decidedly a7i agreeable one, and I 
tha7ik you 77iost cordially for your ki7id 7iote. 
Your obliged f'iend , 

Walter Dewey. 
To Mr. Tho7nas Meek, 

Philadelphia, Pa. 

Requesting a Friend to execute a 
Commission. 

Santiago , C^iba, 

April /J, I go 2. 
My Dear Ernma : — Will you ki7idly exe- 
cute the followi7tg little co77i7/iissio7is for //le, as 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



6i 



soon as you can make it convenient? Pur- 
chase/or vie at Macy's the followbig articles ; 
— {Jiere state ribbons, miisli7is, &c. , as 
wanted?) Will you also call at Doubleday'' s 
and inquire when Bacheller' s new novel will 
be out, as I am all anxiety to knoiv. 

Please give them my address at Macy' s, 
and tell them to pack the parcel carefully and 
send it by express. 

The weather dozvn here is delightful ; but 
I wish I had the pleasure of your company to 
render it m,ore so. Pray write a line and let 
me knozv how soon you can make me a visit, 
and thus afford me an opportunity to tha7ik 
you personally for your kindness. 

Lois C. Pharnum . 
To Miss Mary White, 

No. — Washington Square. New York. 

Application for Subscription to a 
Charity. 

Duane Street, 

Louisville, Ky., 

fanuary ly, ipo-. 
Sir — / take the liberty of inclosing a pros- 
pectus of an institutio7i which is likely to have 
a most beneficial effect upon the condition of 
the poor in our neighbo7'hood. {^Here state 
particula7'S-^ On accou7it of your well-know7i 
libe7'ality , I trust you will excuse this appeal 
i7i furtherance of an act of benevolence , and 
remai7i , 

Sir, your 77iost obedient servant, 

Harry R.Jones. 
To Pliney Earlc, Esq., 

No. — West 1 8th Street, City. 

Letters of Application. 

BOY WANTED for Transportation Office; 
must be good penman ; $15 per month. Address, 
in own handwriting, H, 236 I^edger Office. 

Philadelphia , Pa ., fan. j, igoi . 
H, 2j6 Ledger Office. 

Sir^- — / would respectfully apply for the 
position advertised i7i to-day' s Ledger. I am 
fiftee7i years old, reside with my parents at 
yg fay7ie Street, Camden, a7id refer you to 
Mr. S. L. Thomas, 81^ Market Street, this 
city, from wha7n I received the enclosed testi- 
mo7iial. 

Very truly, 

Albert Jenkins, 



Application for Position of Salesman 
and Collector. 

100 D St. N. W. 

Washiyigton, D. C, 
March 21, igoi. 
Messrs. S. H. Smith & Co., 
Wheeli7ig, W. Va. 
Gentleme7i : 

I a77i recommended by Mr. Frank Stuart 
to apply to you for the positi^7i of sales77ian 
and collector, rece7itly occupied by Jmn in your 
warehouse. 

I am twe7ity-eight years of age, a7id re- 
side with 77iy father i7i this city, who will give 
bo7ids for me if required. I have had soTue 
experie7ice 171 your li7ie of busi7iess , a7id should 
be pleased to have a trial with you, if prefer- 
able, previous to a perma7ient engagei7ie7it . I 
a77i at liberty to refer to Mess7-s. W. H. 
Fletcher & Co., Lace Curtai7is, ig8 Broad- 
way, New York, also to Messrs. Si77ipso7i & 
fones. Upholstery Goods, 166 Arch Street, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

Very respectfully , 

Edward Murphy. 

Requesting the Settlement of an Account. 

Newark, N.J., Dec. 25, igoo. 
Mr. JaTnes Jones, 

Burlington, N.J. 
Dear Sir : 

I call your attentio7i to the fact that your 
accou7it, which I enclose, has 7iot bee7i settled. 
I a7n relucta7it to press yo7i, but as I have 
some heavy payments to make in the early part 
of 7iext 77ionth, I must request that you pay 
the a77iount before the close of the present 
mo7ith. 

Respectfully yours, 

John Adams. 

A Demand for Payment of Rent, 

140P North Ninth St., 

Philadelphia, Pa. 

June ^, igo^. 
Mr. Tho77ias F. Smith. 
Dear Sir : 

I feel obliged to remind yoii of the fact that 

you owe me $120 for three 7nonths^ rent. 

You will reme7nber that, accordi7ig to the 

agree7ne7it, you were to make m.onthly 



213 



62 



BOOK OF ETIOUETTE 



payments ; therefore, if the account is not settled 
ivhhin a week, I shall be obliged to place the 
matter in the hands of 7ny laivyer for collectio7i, 
as J ca7i7iot allow it to run any longer. 
Truly yours, 

Henry S. Holmes. 

Introducing a Young Man Seeking a 
Position. 

Akron, Ohio, June I, igoo. 
My Dear Sir : 

Recognizi7ig your well-merited and ex- 
tensive influence in the comincrcial circles in 
your city, I beg to introduce to you Charles F. 
Pogle, zvho is desirous of obtaining a position 
with a mercantile house. He is a goitlemayi 
of capacity and ability. His character sta?ids 
A I, and he is as industrious as he is e^ier- 
getic. He considers New York a better field 
than this place, and prefers to try his chances 
there to remainiiig here. He can refer to me. 
Trusting that you will lend him, a helping 
hand, I am, Yours, ve^y truly, 

Ja7nes B . Marvel. 
Mr. Edward Fetter, 

ip Park Row, Nezv York. 

Social Letters. 

Let these be original and not be like the 
epistles of some one else ; write as you would 
talk, but always exercise care in the use of 
pure, simple language and avoid a stilted or 
artificial stjde. Especially in the long let- 
ters of friendship and love — those missives 
that reveal the heart — the language should 
show that the \\f3sX. is pure. L,et your letter 
be the record of the fancies and mood of the 
hour ; the reflex of your aspirations, your 
joys, your disappointments. 

Write cheerfully. It is unkind to your 
friend to fill your letter with complainings 
and accounts of your troubles, though there 
are occasions when one may confide all his 
sorrows to the near friend, and receive in re- 
turn a letter of sympathy, containing all the 
comfort it is possible for a letter to convey. 

The length of social letters must depend 
upon circumstances and degree of intimacy. 
To members of your family real chatty 
letters telling of all the little incidents of 
your life, its pleasures and adventures are 
always proper. In fact, these need be limited 
only by your time and paper. To others 
you must not write such long letters. 



The following is a feeling" letter of con- 
dolence, written by Frances Ridley Haver- 
gal to a lady friend : 

Leamington, Dec. lo, i8yo. 
Dear, Dear Mrs. Smith : 

What can I do but just weep with you ! I 
can only guess xvhat this sorrow is. Only 1 
know it viust be the greatest, except one, which 
could come to you. That dear little, beazitiful 
thiyig I He looked so sweet and happy when I 
saw him,; 7io baby face ever haunted me as, 
somehow, his did. If you could only see hi7n 
710W, how beautiful he 77iustbe 7iow that he has 
see7i Jesus, and shines i7i the light of God. It 
is even 77iore wo7iderful to tlmik of that great 
transitio7i for a baby thayi for a grow7t per- 
son ; 07ie cannot iynagiyie the sudde7i expa7isio7i 
into stich k7iowledge a7id co7iscious Joy . 

I was looki7ig back this 77iorni7ig upon lo7ig 
memories of soul-trials, years of groping and 
stu7nbli7ig a7id longi7ig, si7i7iing ayid sorrow- 
ing, of heart weariness a7id fai7itness, te7np- 
iation and failure ; all these things which I 
suppose every Christian 77121st pass through, 
m.ore or less, at so77ie stage or other 07i the 
way ho77ie ; a7id the first distiiict thought which 
ca>7ie through the surprise a7id sor7VW at the 
sad 7ietvs was, " That dear little redee77ied 07ie 
is spared all this, take7i ho7ne without a7iy of 
these roughest roughnesses of the way ; he will 
never fear doubt or si7i, 7iever grieve his 
Saviour. " Is it 7iot the very best ajid kindest 
thing that te7ider Saviour could do for hi77i f 
07ily it is 7iot tvhat you 7nea7it when you 
prayed that he 7night be his ow>i. 

But better he is with hi7n at once a7id for- 
ever, a7id waiti7ig for you to co77ie home. If 
am only writing all this because 7ny heart is 
full, and must pour out a little. I know we 
cannot co77ifort, — 07ily Jesus ca7i ; and I shall 
go a7id plead long a7id i7ite7isely Jor this as 
S0071 as I have closed 77iy letter. He must be 
specially " touched'' in such a sorrow, Jor he 
k7iows by actual experie7ice what hu7na7t love 
is. Three such great sorrows iti one year ! 
How specially he must be watchi7ig you in this 
Jurnace ! 

Yours with deepest sympathy, 

Fra7ices R. Havergal. 

This may fitly be followed by a letter of 
congratulation, of which we give a manu- 
factured example. Too often it is the case 



214 



BOOK OF ETIOUETTE 



63 



that friends forget to congratulate those they 
are interested in when good fortune of any 
kind comes upon them, or to commiserate 
with them in cases of disaster or misfortune. 
These letters not only are proper but very 
acceptable. The one receiving such letters 
should not fail to acknowledge them. They 
properly should not be very long or very 
effusive. 

New York, May 8, 190J. 
My Dear Mr. Williams : 

It is with deep satisfactio?i that I learn of 
your good fortiuie. I have long hoped that 
the clouds which lowered over you would be 
lifted., and sincerely hope that you have fairly 
entered upon a tide of prosperity. In one 
who, like y 071, have been true and honorable in 
all your actions, and have suffered in vieans 
through honesty iii dealing, the coining of a 
measure of success like this should be especially 
gratifying. 

May you continue to prosper, and if in any 
way I can advance your interests hi this quar- 
ter do not fail to make tise of me. Present my 
best wishes to Mrs. Williams, and believe me 
Sincerely yours , 

Jatnes Dobson. 

From Charles Dickens to James T. Fields. 

As an excellent example of a reply to a 
letter conveying pleasant wishes, we present 
the following from Dickens : 

Gad's Hilly fune 10, i86y. 
My Dear Fields : 

Your letter of May 2yth comes to me like 
a breath from your ow7i world beyond the sea. 
Believe m-e, I reciprocate all your good wishes, 
and take this occasion to renew those sentiments 
of respect and affection for yourself which it 
has been -my privilege to eiitertain for so long 
a time, hi the busy hours of exacting labors, 
I recall with pleasure the choice friends whom 
it has been my happy lot to meet. Time does 
not rust, but brightens, the links of the golden 
chain. With every good wish for your per- 
so7ial health and enjoyment, I am, as ever. 
Yours Tnost sincerely, 

Charles Dickens. 
Mr. fames T. Fields, 

Boston, Mass. 



From Charles Sumner on Leaving for 
Europe to his Ten=year Old Sister. 

As tor House, 

New York, Dec. 7, 18 j"^ 
My Dear fulia : 

I doiiH remember that I ever wrote you a 
letter. I feel confident, however, that your 
correspondence is not very extensive; and 
therefore I flatter myself that what I write you 
will be read with attention, arid I trust, also, 
deposited in your heart. Before trusting my- 
self to the sea, let me say a few words to you 
which shall be my good- by. I have often 
spoken to you of certain habits of personal 
care, which I will not here more particularly 
refer to thaii by asking you to remember all I 
have told you. 

I am very glad, 'my dear, to remember 
your cheerful cou7ite?iance . I shall keep it in 
my mi?id as I travel over sea arid land, and 
hope that when I return I may still find its 
pleasant smile ready to gr^eet me. Try riever 
to cry. But above all things never be obstinate 
or passionate . If you find your temper mas 
tering you, always stop till you count sixty 
before you say or do anything. Let it be said 
of you that you are always amiable. Love your 
father arid mother and brothers and sisters, 
and all your friends ; cultivate an affectionate 
disposition. 

If you find that you can do anything 
which will add to the pleasure of your parents , 
or anybody else, be sure to do it. Consider 
every opportunity of adding to the pleasur'e of 
others as of the highest impor'tance, and do not 
be unwilling to sacrifice some enjoyment of 
your own, even some dear plaything , if by 
doing so you can promote the happiness of 
others. If you follow this advice you will never 
be selfish or ungenerous, and everybody will 
love you. 

Study all the lessons you have at school, 
and when at home, in the time when you are 
tired of play, read some good books which will 
help to impr'bve your mind. . . . If you will 
let Hor^ace read this letter it will do the same, 
perhaps, as one addressed to him. Give my 
love to mother, and Mary, and the rest. 
Your affectionate brother, 

Charles. 



64 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



ETIQUETTE OF BEAUTY 



During all civilized ages the art of 
beauty has been sedulously studied and 
practiced by the fair sex, women in all 
periods since the days of barbarism having 
sought to preserve and increase the charms 
bestowed by nature and carry the freshness 
of youth as far forward as possible into the 
domain of middle life and even of old age. 
Experience extended through many cen- 
turies has yielded numerous ' ' rules of con- 
duct " in relation to physical hygiene and 
the care of the body, while physicians have 
learned much in respect to the preservation 
of health and beauty. Hoav to keep a clean 
soul in a clean body is the first law of health. 
In the study of the fine arts there is nothing 
of more importance than the art of making 
a beautiful woman. It is this art with 
which yv^e are at present concerned. Though 
no one can be taught how to convert ugli- 
ness into beauty, or to stay the footsteps of 
age, yet what share of attractiveness nature 
has given can in great measure be retained 
and enhanced, while, if the advance of age 
cannot be checked, its ravages may be alle- 
viated and its harshness softened by the 
employment of physical hygiene and refined 
care of the body which God has given us. 

How to Grow Old Gracefully. 

A charming old lady revealed the secret 
of her fair and rosy complexion to a group 
of young women as follows : ' ' L,ate hours , ' ' 
said she, ',' and oversleeping ruin the com- 
plexion. Go to bed early, arise early, and 
you will grow old slowly, and retain your 
good looks to an advanced age. If, how- 
ever, your position forces you into society 
and you are obliged to be up late at night, 
sleep an hour every afternoon. Before 
going to bed take a hot bath and remain in 
the water only a few moments. Then drink 
a cup of bouillon, and a small glass of 
Malaga wine. Sleep will soon follow, and 
last until the natural time of awakening, 
which is about ten o'clock in the morning 
under these circumstances. Take a cold 
plunge or sponge bath, a light breakfast of 
cafe au lait, and bread without any butter. ' ' 

She continued : ' ' Out-of-door exf^rc."--:-^ 



is an absolute necessity, but must not be 
carried to excess. A daily walk is excellent, 
and it is scarcely necessary to say that 
whole days of lawn tennis, croquet, etc., 
are not favorable to the complexion." 

Care of the Body. 

Wear warm, light garments, to secure 
an even temperature. In winter it is even 
more important to protect the spine than 
the chest. Wear a silk sleeveless jacket 
next the skin, if you do not wish to wear 
a flannel one. At any rate, if you are deli- 
cate, young or old, cover the spine with a 
strip of flannel tied by a ribbon, and extend- 
ing to the hips. There will be no need to 
fear colds, bronchitis, or phthisis, if this pre- 
caution is taken, and it does not prevent 
wearing a decollette gown. 

Never wear tight clothing. It is in- 
jurious to health and beauty. The face be- 
comes congested when the organs are com- 
pressed, the hands swell, and get red, and 
the carriage awkward. Wear easy corsets, 
gloves, and shoes. 

To keep the pores of the skin open, one 
should bathe daily in cold or warm water ; 
ill health and age are thus retarded. The 
result of uncleanliness is a flabby and un- 
wholesome condition. The well cleansed 
skin is soft, smooth, fresh ; a skin on which 
perspiration and dust have accumulated in 
layers becomes dry and feverish. But it 
may be said that it is not possible for the 
greater number of people to take a daily 
bath, as they lack the facilities and the 
time. The sponge bath — which is all suffi- 
cient for the purposes of cleanliness — re- 
quires only a few minutes each day. Once 
or twice a week at least, one should take 
the time necessary for a full bath. This is 
the very least attention our bodies require. 

Immersions and baths, with the aid of 
soap, lotions, etc., will render the body 
strong and flexible, and give it a power of 
resistance. . Water haa the virtue of dispell- 
ing fatigue and destroying the germs of dis- 
ease. While cleansing the body it purifies 
our souls and gives us " a sound mind in a 
-©und body." 



216 



BGOK OF ETIQUETTE 



65 



The Bath=Room. 

The furnishing of the bath-room depends 
largely upon the means and. taste of its 
ov/ner. It is no difficult matter to furnish a 
simple bath-room, in which comfort may be 
preserved while the unattainable elegancies 
of the rich are banished. The walls of this 
room may be painted in oils — in imitation 
of marble, if desired. Over the floor of 
wood or tiles a carpet of linoleum should be 
spread. In front of the bath-tub should be 
laid an India-rubber mat, on which to step 
on leaving the bath. On the walls may be 
placed shelves fo* soap, sponges, etc., within 
easy reach of th^ hand while in the v/ater. 
On racks or in a wardrobe should be hung 
the bathing linen, towels, dressing sacks, 
and other necessaries of the bath. 

The human skin is a complicated net, 
whose meshes must be kept open and un- 
clogged, in order that through them the 
body may throw off its impure secretions. 
The healthy action of the skin is stimulated 
by the opening of the pores in the bath, es- 
pecially if it is followed by friction with a 
brush or rough towel. 

Instead of the bath-tub and its acces- 
)Ories, the needs of cleanliness may be met 
\vith a large zinc tub, a pail, and a small 
basin of water, with a suitable sponge. In 
this method of bathing first use warm water; 
then, if in good health, lower the tempera- 
ture of the water until, finally, the bath can 
be taken cold. In all cases the temperature 
of the room must be moderatelj^ warm. Peo- 
ple whose lungs are weak should always 
bathe in warm wate^ . 

Partial baths, of any kind, are almost 
always taken warm. It is unwise to bathe 
immediately after eating, as it seriously in- 
terferes with digestion. There should be at 
least three or four hours between a full repast 
and a bath. 

In the springtime, when one is more 
susceptible to cold than at any. other season 
of the year, it is best to bathe at night, just 
before going to bed, in order that the skin 
may profit by the warm moisture which it 
retains for several hours after leaving the 
bath. 

The practice of massage, by the hands of 
an experienced operator, is of great value in 
21 E 2 



certain states of the health. But, fortu 
nately, ordinary friction can replace this 
practice without assistance, thanks to the 
various appliances for the purpose of rub- 
bing one's self over the shoulders and back, 
which the hands cannot reach easily. The 
friction is produced either with the bare 
hand, or by means of gloves or bands of 
horsehair, or of rough woolen or linen 
cloth. When no liquid is employed, such 
friction is called dry-. 

The Dressing=Roorn. 

A woman's dressing-room should be as 
tasteful and comfortable as her social posi- 
tion and fortune permit : simply comfort- 
able if she cannot afford luxury, but sup- 
plied at least with all things necessary and 
useful to a careful toilet. 

Where convenient, two dressing-tables 
should be provided, facing each other, dif- 
ferent in dimensions, but identical in form. 

The larger serves for the minor ablu- 
tions. It is provided with a water pitcher 
and bowl of porcelain, crystal, or silver, 
selected with the taste which distinguishes 
us in these days. Above it fasten a little 
shelf on which to place perfumes, smelling 
salts, dentrifices, elixirs, etc. Beside the 
bowl place a soap-dish, a box for brushes, 
etc. 

The smaller dressing-table should be 
surmounted by an adjustable mirror, framed 
in silk and muslin. The hair is dressed be- 
fore this table. It must be supplied with 
all needful accessories — brushes and combs, 
perfumes, creams and lotions, powder-boxes, 
powder puffs, manicure set, etc. Projecting 
brackets for lights should be on each side of 
this table. 

The dressing-room may be far more 
simple than here described. If it lack all 
luxury, a woman of taste may give it an 
attractive appearance. Select a tasteful wall- 
paper. Cover the floor with a pretty rug. 
Tables of pine ma}^ be draped with cretonne 
bordered with a ruffle. Over your dressing- 
table spread a linen scarf trimmed with 
inexpensive lace. Above it hang small 
brackets covered like the table, on which 
place the boxes, bottles, jewel vases, etc., 
which may be gra':eful and elegant despite 
their small cost. If the mirror is ordinrr)', 
17 



66 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



conceal the frame by a drapery to correspond 
with the table. This is easily arranged by 
means of hidden tacks. Secure a very sim- 
ple wardrobe, which you can greatly im- 
prove b}^ painting and varnishing. Conceal 
the water jugs and pails under the valance 
of the table. 

Some shelves at the end of the room, 
with hooks beneath them to hold articles of 
clothing, the whole concealed behind cur- 
tains in harmony with the drapery of the 
cable, will answer the purpose of a ward- 
robe. The curtain should hang freely from 
the ceiling, so as not to expose the outlines 
of the objects behind it. Beneath it the 
zinc bathing tub may be hidden. 

The Complexion. 

It is generally thought that the color and 
texture of the skin may be improved by ex- 
ternal means. This is partially the truth, 
but is largely an error, since the complexion 
depends to a great degree on the health and 
temperament. We must look to hygiene 
rather than to cosmetics to supply the de- 
fects of color. 

A complexion which is too highly col- 
ored, especially if the color is deep and ex- 
tends over nearly the whole surface, is 
neither desirable fron i an aesthetic nor from a 
hygienic standpoint. It indicates plethora. 
It will be noticed that those persons who are 
afflicted with high color, whose eyes even 
are veined in red, are usually large eaters, 
lovers of ease, and averse to fatiguing exer- 
cises. In order to tone down their color, 
they should restrain the appetite, select less 
succulent food, and take less ease. Their 
health will be improved by the directions 
here given ; headaches, confusion of thought, 
dizziness, will disappear ; from violent, the 
color will become merely brilliant, which is 
a very different thing, for a bright color is 
not objectionable if confined to the cheek, as 
it makes the rest of the face fairer by contrast. 

When the complexion is muddy, wan, 
pasty, too white, greenish, yellow, or pur- 
ple, it is always a sign of bad health. A 
muddy skin is sometimes natural, but fre- 
quently indicates dyspepsia, feeble circula- 
tion, etc. 

A pale skin is usually due to a life spent 
within doors, lack of exercise, the habit or 



necessity of avoiding sunlight and daylight. 
A pasty skin is the result of a lymphatic 
temperament. An olive skin does not 
always indicate disease ; it may have been 
inherited from some creole ancestor. A too 
white skin, without proper admixture of 
color, shows a person in serious ill health, 
although sometimes there are no other indi- 
cations. A purplish complexion may come 
from some affection of the heart. A yellow 
skin requires especial attention. It is plain 
that care and precaution should be taken 
when the complexion is defective. 

Hygiene is in many cases sufficient, and 
we shall try to trace the prominent outlints 
of this preventive treatment, at least so far 
as women are concerned. 

Facial Ablutions. 

It is well known that the pores of the 
skin should be kept open in order to perform 
thoroughly their functions, and that wash- 
ing is an excellent means to relieve them of 
the secretions or accumulations which ob- 
struct and close them. There are, however, 
precautions to be taken when washing the 
face. If there is any eruption on the face, 
warm water should be used. By this means 
the blood is driven away and the congestion 
relieved. 

When the weather is very warm, or 
wheh the face is heated, do not wash in cold 
water. Bathe in warm water with pure 
soap. Take care to rinse thoroughly, so as 
to remove every particle of soap. Powder 
lightly, allowing the powder to dry on the 
face. 

The face should be then carefully wiped 
on a piece of soft linen. Rough friction, 
with a coarse towel, has the effect of thick- 
ening some skins. It is well to remember 
that the skin requires the same delicate care 
that we bestow on fine porcelain or other 
rare treasures. 

It is said that one of our society beauties 
every night on going to bed saturates a toilet 
towel in very hot water, wrings it, and ap- 
plies it to her face, keeping it there for half 
an hour. This woman has no wrinkles. 

A woman, fifty years old, whose skin is 
as smooth as that of a young girl, has never 
used anything on her face but hot water, 
which she believes prevents the skin from 



218 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



67 



becoming flaccid and wrinkled. One of her 
friends does the same, but immediately after 
washes her face in cold water, and her sister 
uses hot water at night and cold in the 
morning. 

All these apparent contradictions depend 
doubtless on different conditions of the skin. 
A well-knovv^n physician advises washing 
the face in cold water in the winter, and in 
warm or hot water in summer, thus establish- 
ing harmony with the existing temperature. 

Hard water, which does not dissolve the 
soap, should not be used for washing or 
bathing. If no other is to be had, the 
water for face-washing may be softened with 
a little borax or a few drops of ammonia. 

Lemon juice cleanses the skin very well, 
and sometimes serves the purpose better 
than soap. Strawberry juice has the same 
effect, besides being very improving to the 
skisi. 

Dr. Kingsford believes that, in many 
cases, the skin of the face may be kept 
smooth to an advanced age by the follow- 
ing mechanical process : The fingers being 
slightly oiled, the skin of the face should be 
rubbed, gently but firmly, in a direction 
opposite to that in which wrinkles threaten 
to form. This should be done at least once 
daily, and for five minutes at a time. The 
pressure must be even, firm, and gentle, 
and the oil on the fingers occasionally re- 
newed. In this process the effect may be 
much augmented by the use of wool fat, 
a substance which is extracted from sheep's 
wool. Its value consists in the fact that it 
is readily absorbed by the skin, and thus 
serves to replace the subcutaneous fatty 
tissue, where deficient, and give a full, 
smooth, and rounded outline to the skin. 
Cold- cream prepared from this wool fat and 
cucumber juice is a very valuable cosmetic, 
from the readiness of its absorption by the 
skin, ordinary oils and fats lying on the 
surface, without absorption, and forming a 
greasy film. 

To Remove Sunburn. 

Bathe your face at night with a cold in- 
fusion of fresh cucumbers sliced in milk. A 
decoction of tansy in buttermilk is still 
more eflScacious. Buttermilk alone is ex- 
cellent. 



Another means of overcoming the effects 
of sea or wind is to wash the face with the 
juice of green grapes prepared in the follow- 
ing manner : Wet the grapes and powder 
lightly with alum ; wrap in a white paper 
and cook under hot ashes . When the grapes 
become tender they are sufficiently cooked. 
Remove them from their covering and 
squeeze into a cup. Wash your face in the 
liquid three times within twenty-four hours. 
This remedy is said to be infallible. 

Another treatment, practiced in Italy, 
is to bathe the face with the white of an &%%■, 
well beaten. Let it dry on the skin, and 
rinse it off in soft water after fifteen minutes. 
This treatment is repeated three or four 
times, always at night, just before retiring. 

Lastly, good results may be had from 
the use of a mixture of equal parts of gly- 
cerine and lemon juice. If glycerine does 
not agree with the skin, use rose-water. 

Freckles. 

Freckles are the despair of blondes, and 
even of brunettes with fair skins. Some 
physicians attribute them to too much iron 
in the blood, and think that they may arise 
from the abuse of iron tonics. Others say 
that they indicate a delicate constitut'on and 
feeble circulation. 

They may sometimes be prevented by a 
few very simple precautions. The follow- 
ing mixture has been used with success : 
One part of tincture of iodine to three parts 
of glycerine, applied to the freckles before 
going to bed. 

Another remedy is the following : Take 
one-half pint of oil of turpentine ; dissolve 
in it seven grammes of pulverized camphor ; 
add two grammes of oil of sweet almonds. 

The following is another excellent rem- 
edy : Twenty-eight grammes of crushed cam- 
phor and 1 1 2 grammes of pure olive oil. 
Let the camphor dissolve slowly in the oil. 

Applications of buttermilk are also ex- 
cellent here, as in the case of sunburn. 

The following remedies are also recom- 
mended : In twenty centigrammes of rose 
water dissolve sixteen centigrammes of 
borax : 

Fresh beans, boiled in water, crushed and 
applied as a poultice on the freckles, will 
produce excellent effects. 



219 



6S 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



Make a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice, 
alcohol, oil of lavender, oil of rose, oil of 
cedar, and distilled water. Apply to the 
freckles on retiring, and wash the face in 
soft water next morning. 

Two parts of sugar of watercress to one 
of honey is highly recommended for remov- 
ing both large and small freckles. Strain 
through a cloth and apply morning and 
night. 

Depilatories. 

The growth of hair which so often ap- 
pears on the chin at middle age, and the 
down which imparts a masculine appear- 
ance to the rosy lips of some young girls 
of twenty, form causes of annoyance from 
which some suffer distress of mind. There 
are, fortunately, remedies for this affliction. 

Removing these hairs with a small 
tweezer of steel is one of the common meth- 
ods. But the hair must be carefully pulled 
and not broken ; it should be removed by a 
sudden jerk. Recently an operation by elec- 
tricity, to which the name of electrolysis is 
given, has been highly recommended. It 
is, however, often unsuccessful, and always 
painful. 

Make a wash of the leaves and roots of 
celandine distilled. Make a compress, apply 
to the hair}'- spot, allowing it to remain en 
all night. Continue until the hairs disap- 
pear. 

Use pol5^pode of oak ; slit and cut into 
pieces, place in a cucurbite (vessel resem- 
bling a gourd used in distillation) and pour 
over it some white wine, which should cover 
the polypode a finger's width. Let it stand 
for twenty-four hours. Then distil in boil- 
ing water until no more evaporates. Apply 
in compresses on the afflicted parts, keeping 
it on all night. Renew until the desired 
effect is produced. 

Face Washes and Cosmetics. 

Never use any kind of paint on the face. 
All rouges injure the skin. Blanc de perle 
is dangerous. 

Greasy skins are benefited by washing 
in the juice of fresh cucumbers. Equally 
good is the water in which spinach flowers 
have been boi led . The j nice of strawberries 
is still better. 



During the sixteenth century the water 
in which beans had been boiled was in vogue 
for the complexion. This farinaceous water 
is entitled to the fame which it possessed. 
Belladonna (beautiful lady) derives its name 
from the use which the Italians of the Re- 
naissance made of its juice to improve theii 
cornplexions. 

The following lotion is excellent : A 
wineglassful of lemon juice, a pint of rain 
water, five drops of essence of rose, well 
corked. Wash the face occasionally with 
this mixture, which often prevents the dis- 
coloration of the skin. 

Soft and rela.xed skins will be improved 
by the use of the following cosmetic (at in- 
tervals of eight days) : One part milk, one 
part whisky. Moisten a soft towel with the 
mixture, after having first washed the face. 
The results do not follow immediately, but 
within a year the skin will frequently con- 
tract, become firm, fine, and soft. 

An excellent cleansing wash, used by 
our grandmothers, and known as " virginal 
milk," is prepared as follows: Take one 
quart of rose, orange, or elder-flower water, 
and add to it, drop by drop, stirring con- 
stantly, an ounce of simple tincture of ben- 
zoin. (Be careful not to use compound 
tincture). A few drops of glycerine and 
twelve or fifteen minims of tincture of myrrh 
may be added. 

For greasiness of the skin the v\se of 
stimulating and astringent washes is neces- 
sary. The following is an excellent recipe : 
One ounce of dried rose leaves, one-half 
pint of white-wine vinegar, one half-pint of 
rose water. Pour the vinegar on the rose- 
leaves and let it stand for a week; then 
strain and add the rose-water. Bathe the 
face morning and evening b}^ wetting the 
corner of a soft towel with the lotion. 

Where the oiliness is considerable, use 
the following lotion, applying it two or 
three times a day : 

Sulphate of zinc, two grains ; compound 
tincture of lavender, eight minims ; dis- 
tilled water, one ounce. Mix thoroughly. 

Toilet vinegars are frequently made with 
diluted acetic acid, into which are infused 
rose-leaves, lavender, verbena, or some 
other perfume. All toilet vinegars should 
be much diluted. The best time to use 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



6q 



them is in the morning after bathing, in or- 
der to cool the skin, remove any appear- 
ance of greasiness, and give tone to the 
epidermis. But they must on no account 
be used soon after soap has been applied, 
because the acid of the vinegar will de- 
compose the soap and seriously injure the 
skin. 

The Use of Rice Powder. 

It is sometimes necessary to powder the 
face, but powder should be applied lightly 
and artistically in order to impart to the 
skin the velvety softness of the peach. 
Powder on the face should be impercepti- 
ble, and, if used with discretion, is not to 
be condemned. 

Take up but a small quantity of powder 
on the puff, and pass lightly over the face. 
Care should be taken not to powder the eye- 
brows, and the lips must be carefully wiped 
to remove an}^ powder which may have 
fallen. The whole face, except the eyes, 
the eyebrows, and lips, should receive a 
touch of powder. 

Acne or Blackheads. 

Acne is the commonest form of facial 
eruption, it appearing as small black points 
on the nose, cheeks, and chin. Each speck 
marks an obstructed outlet of the sebaceous 
glands, and if pressure be made on either 
side, the oily secretion may be pressed out 
in the form of a small white worm. With 
care in softening the skin before pressing, 
blackheads may be removed without leaving 
a scar, and through proper treatment, their 
return may be prevented. 

For three weeks, or until the skin is 
thoroughly softened, apply Recamier cream 
every night before retiring. Let the cream 
remain on the face during the night. In 
the morning wash it off with water, as hot 
as can pleasantly be borne, and a little 
pure soap. Rinse the face thoroughly with 
cooler water. At the end of three weeks 
the blackheads will, in most cases, have 
been expelled by the treatment. In obsti- 
nate cases proceed as follows : 

Before attempting the removal of these 
blemishes, apply a little Recamier cream. 
Press on either side of the clogged pore un- 
til the so-called "worm" is forced out. 
Be care:f?il not to be rough and injure the 



skin by sharp finger nails or any steel in 
strument ; if the sebaceous matter will not 
come out, it is because the skin is not prop- 
erly softened, and you must patiently con^ 
tinue the first part of the treatment. Oper- 
ate on the blackheads at night, if possible, 
before retiring, and do not attempt to get 
rid of all at one time. After the matter is 
forced out, bathe the face in warm water, 
in which put a little pulverized borax, and 
also use a little pure soap, that the now 
emptied folicle maybe thoroughly cleansed. 
Continue this treatment until the black- 
heads are all gone. 

Do not imagine, however, that these 
troublesome imperfections will not return if 
the skin is neglected. Nothing but care and 
great cleanliness will effectually banish these 
obnoxious visitors. 

Redness of the Nose. 

If this afiQiction is due to the dryness of 
the nasal passage or the delicacy of the 
capillary vessels, the inflamed condition 
may easily be removed. The following 
wash can be recommended : Powdered 
borax, ten grammes ; one teaspoonful co- 
logne ; soft water, 150 grammes. Melt the 
borax in the water, then add the cologne. 
It is sufficient to moisten the nose with 
the wash and let it dry without wiping. 
When it begins to burn again, the treat- 
ment should be renewed . 

Here is another ai d similar wash : Dis- 
solve two grammes of borax in fifteen 
grammes of rose-water, and as much 
orange-flower water. Moisten the nose 
three times each day with this refreshing 
wash. 

Cleansing of the Hair. 

The frequent use of a fine comb is fatal 
to hair, especially when it is falling out. 
However, it is necessary to cleanse the hair 
and the downy scalp. 

The Chinese, who have abundant, but 
coarse, hair, use a mixture of honey and 
flour. 

The following is an English recipe : Add 
a teacupful of salt to a quart of rain-water. 
After twelve hours this brine is ready for use. 
To one cupful of the mixture add one cup- 
ful of hot rain water. Wash the hair and 
scalp, rub well, rinse, and dry with a towel. 
21 



70 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



The Creoles of Cuba make a decoction of 
the leaves of rosemary. This water, they 
maintain, cleanses, strengthens, and softens 
the hair. 

This also is excellent : Take fifty 
grammes of the roots of soap -wood boiled 
in a pint and a half of water. Wash with 
the hot preparation, then dry the hair and 
scalp with warm cloths. 

The yolk of an &^<g cleans the head thor- 
oughly and causes the hair to grow. Only 
the scalp should be rubbed with the yolk, 
and the head rinsed in hot water. The 
beaten white of eggs is also recommended 
as a simple and efficacious preparation for 
cleansing the hair. Rub the scalp, and rinse 
-n hot water. 

The custom of shampooing originated in 
England. Take one quart of cold or hot 
water into which is melted thirty grammes 
of carbonate of soda and fifteen grammes of 
soap, cut into small pieces. Add a few 
drops of perfume and thirty grammes of 
spirits of wine. After washing with this 
preparation, rinse the hair in warm water. 
Afterward rub the hair and scalp until dry 
with warm towels. 

♦ The hair should always be thoroughly 
and rapidly dried. After drying, let it hang 
loosely on the shoulders for an hour or two 
if necessary. 

Hair, especially gray, may be cleansed 

with powder. Afterward, it should be care- 

fuUy brushed. This is an excellent method, 

nough it is difficult to remove the traces of 

powder from dark hair. 

Diseases of the Hair. 

Dandruff is not only very disagreeable, 
trut produces baldness. Before resorting to 
medical treatment for this disease, which is 
sometimes obstinate, because it depends on 
a bad state of health, try one of the following 
simple remedies : First, melt sixty grammes 
of crystallized soda in a quart of water ; add 
thirty grammes of cologne water. Moisten 
the hairbrush in the liquid and pass it each 
day over the affected part. Second, a phy- 
sician recommends the application of lemon 
juice to the scalp. Keep the juice as much 
as possible from the hah. Third, take ten 
grammes of Panama wood ; boil in a pint of 
rain-water. Wash the affected parts with 



22Z 



this decoction two or tnree times each 
week. 

When the hair falls out without apparent 
cause, it is diseased. This is the case when 
the ends split. Sorrow causes the hair to 
fall out. For this there is no remedy save 
time and forgetfulness, and happier days. 

An animal is known to be unhealthy if 
its hair is not soft and shiny. It is the same 
with men and women, and if this is the case 
it is important to consider the state of the 
health. A good treatment for hair under 
these circumstances is to rub the scalp with 
soap and a mixture of castor-oil, sweet 
almond, and tannin. 

When, after cases of short and severe ill- 
ness or long-continued ill-health, the hair 
falls out, as the saying goes, " by the hand- 
ful," it should be cut quite short and kept 
clipped for at least a twelvemonth, rubbing 
the scalp regularly with some wash possess- 
ing tonic qualities. 

Another point to be carefully noted is the 
manner of cutting the hair. The weakest 
and thinnest growth, when the hair has a 
marked tendency to fall out, is almost invari- 
ably along the central parting and about the 
crown. At these parts, therefore, the hair 
should be clipped more frequently than any- 
where else, and the utmost care should be 
used to keep the hairs on the top of the head 
shorter than at the sides and back, where the 
growth is stronger. Unfortunately, how- 
ever, the opposite course is generally pur- 
sued, the locks at the sides and back being 
often very closely clipped, while the hair on 
the crown and along the parting is left quite 
long. 

Grease must never be used ; it will fill 
the pores of the skin and injure the delicate 
new growth. A weak solution of the essen- 
tial oils of thyme or rosemary, strong rose- 
mary tea, or ammonia, very much diluted 
with water, may be rubbed in to stimulate 
the growth. 

Baldness. 

Baldness is not so serious a matter to a 
man as to a woman, for he has the comfort 
of knowing that he has many companions in 
his misery. 

But a bald woman is really to be pitied. 
It is impossible to accept such a misfortune 
with resignation ; she must conceal it by 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



71 



every means in her power. She is often 
compelled to resort to a wig, or to caps such 
as are worn by dowagers. 

The growing tendency to baldness among 
women has been attributed to the use of hot 
irons for crimping ; to false hair ; to over- 
heating the scalp by head-dresses. It is, 
perhaps, still more due to the use of dyes. 

We no longer wait for gray hairs, but 
vary the color of the hair to suit our caprices, 
and quite frequently the brunette of to-day 
may appear to-morrow with golden or even 
red hair. Those who have black hair some- 
times stain it mahogany color^ Blondes 
whose hair is growing darker lighten it by 
the use of oxygenated water, which removes 
the color. Many woman will resort to any 
means rather than allow the hair to grow 
gray naturally. Such practices are much to 
be condemned. Let us remain as we are, 
content to grow old gracefully. 

Remedies for Falling Hair. 

The juice of a lemon applied to the scalp 
is said to be a remedy for the falling out of 
dark hair. 

The following recipe has been used suc- 
cessfully : Wash the head each night, rub- 
bing in carefully the following mixture : 
one teaspoonful of salt and one gramme 
and a half of quinine, added to a pint of 
brandy ; mix well. 

The following remedy has also been used 
with good results : Steep three common 
onions in a quart of rum for twenty-four 
hours ; remove the onions and apply the 
liquor to the scalp every second day. The 
slight odor of onions soon disappears. 

The English medical journal. The Lancet, 
recommends the following pomatum : Tinc- 
ture of jaborandi, fifteen grammes ; lan- 
oline, nine grammes ; glycerine, sixty 
grammes. Mix with a little soft soap, and 
apply to the scalp every night. 

Good results have been also obtained by 
using walnut leaves steeped in water. Dip 
a small sponge into the liquid, and moisten 
the scalp each night. In the morning use 
the following prescription : Perfumed soft 
animal fat, sixty grammes ; tannin, two 
grammes ; tincture benzoin, six grammes. 

After an illness it is unwise to shave the 
head. The hair will not fall out if cut at 



intervals of three weeks. Each time a cer- 
tain quantity must be cut, proportionate to 
the whole length of the hair ; the last cut- 
ting should be about to the lobe of the ear. 
False hair should not be worn, as it some- 
times causes total baldness. From the day 
on which the hair is first cut, the head must 
be rubbed with a mixture of equal parts of 
rum and castor-oil. Hot sage tea is also 
recommended, provided the head is we'.l 
dried with a warm towel. 

Cleansing of Combs and Brushes. 

Nothing is better for cleansing brushes 
than ammonia; it does not soften the bristles, 
as soap and soda do. Put a teaspoonful of 
ammonia into a quart of water, and soak 
the bristles in the solution (keeping the 
ivory, bone, or varnished back out of the 
water). The brush must then be rinsed in 
fresh water and dried in the air, but not in 
the sun. 

Combs should never be washed. They 
may be cleansed by passing a coarse thread 
or card between the teeth. There is also a 
small brush which is used for cleaning 
combs. 

The greatest cleanliness is necessary for 
all articles used for dressing the hair. 

If you use ammonia in your bath, avoid 
wetting the hair except when necessary, 
because ammonia fades the hair. 

Care of the Eyes. 

Never rub the eyes, for this practice 
causes inflammation of the lids, and how- 
ever beautiful the expression, if the eyes 
are red or without lashes, they lose their 
charm. 

Avoid all ointments, washes, etc., not 
prescribed by a good physician or oculist. 
It is impossible too strongly to denounce 
the use of so-called " eye-beautifiers. " 
Many women have ruined their eyes from 
just such folly. 

If the eyelids are inflamed, wash them 
in rose-water and plantain. The juice of 
the strawberry strained through a piece of 
linen is very efficacious. 

An old physician has advised the use of 
elderberry-water for the painful itching 
sometimes felt in the eyes. 
23 



72 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



A physician recommends the following 
prescription : One quart of soft water, a 
pinch of common salt, a spoonful of brandy. 
Allow it to dissolve. Shake well before 
using. This wash will strengthen the sight 
and restore its powers. 

A skillful oculist says that the eyes 
should be bathed night and morning. Cold 
water will serve while young, but after 
middle age use water as hot as the hands 
can bear ; rinse with cold water afterward. 
This is recommended as a great preservative 
of the strength of the eyes. 

However strong the eyes may be, give 
them a little rest after a few hours' continu- 
ous use. Never force them to gaze at minute 
objects when they are weak ; never read, 
write, or sew with too dim a light. During 
all continuous work close the eyes at inter- 
vals for a short time. The light should fall 
from the side or over the shoulder, not full 
in the face. Never read or write while 
lying dowm. Do not read while traveling 
or walking, or while physically tired. 
Hygienic conditions, sobriety, the avoid- 
ance of all excesses, are rewarded by good 
eyesight. 

Care of the Teeth. 

Cleanliness is one of the surest means 
for overcoming the causes which lead to the 
destruction of the teeth. They should be 
carefully brushed night and morning ; it is 
a . good practice to rinse the mouth after 
each meal, if possible ; the particles of food 
which lodge between the teeth decompose 
and cause, sooner or later, the abominable 
tartar which is so fatal to teeth. 

Some persons use cold water in cleans- 
ing the teeth and rinsing the mouth. I ad- 
vise warm water for both purposes. One 
should use an infusion of mint or the fol- 
lowing mixture : Three grammes of borax 
and nine grammes of pure glycerine, in a 
quart of warm water. The first and more 
simple wash is the better. 

It is sufficient to brush the teeth with 
soap two or three times each week (without 
interfering with the daily cleansing). For 
this a very pure soap should be used. It is 
not an agreeable process, but one soon be- 
comes used to it, and the results are very 
desirable. Soap contains alkali, and alkalies 



are highly recommended for the teetL. 
They are antiseptic, and, therefore, very 
useful for the mouth. Soap removes the 
deposits on the teeth, which many of the 
most famous powders do not, except by 
destroying the enamel which protects them. 

Teeth should not be brushed too long at 
a time. Doing this injures the gums, and 
in this way the teeth may be loosened. 
The upper teeth should be brushed from 
above downwards (from the gums toward 
the edges), the lower teeth from below up- 
wards. The inside of the teeth should be 
as carefully brushed as the outside. 

The gums must be well cared for, for 
when they are healthy there is a better 
chance that the teeth will be healthy also. 

When they are soft the following pow- 
der will harden them : Peruvian bark, fif- 
teen grammes ; powdered ratanhia, six 
grammes ; chlorate of potassa, five 
grammes. These powders should be well 
mixed so as to form but one, with which 
the gums should be rubbed three or four 
times daily. 

The gums must be gradually accustomed 
to vigorous friction. When soft, gums 
bleed easily. They should be washed in 
an infusion of gentian or blackberry leaves, 
into which are put a few drops of the 
tincture of Peruvian bark, or cologne. 
Lemon juice also has excellent effects on 
gums which are soft, or even where there is 
ulceration. Dip a little soft brush in the 
juice, and carefully pass over the sore 
places without touching the teeth. Paint- 
ing the gums with a tincture of ratanhia 
and the tincture of pyrethrum in equal 
parts is often recommended. Apply at 
night. 

A decoction of myrrh, tannin, and oak 
bark is an excellent astringent for tender or 
bleeding gums. 

There are foods which injure the teeth — 
sugar, sweets, pastry, etc. The abuse of 
acids destroys the enamel of the teeth. 
Figs, like sugar, relax and soften the 
gums ; oils, natural fat, or grease, do them 
no good. 

Be careful not to drink anything very 
cold immediately after swallowing soup. 
The teeth will suffer from the violent 
change of temperature. 
24 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



73 



Care of the Hands. 

In doing housework or gardening, old 
gloves which have lost their freshness and 
grown large by use may be worn- They 
will protect the hands from the effects of 
the air, and keep them clean. Too frequent 
washing is open to objection, but there are 
many labors which cannot be performed 
with covered hands, and in that case they 
must be washed as often as necessary. A 
perfectly pure soap should be used. A little 
almond meal may be put into the warm 
water in which the hands are washed, and 
if they are much soiled a little borax or 
ammonia may be added. 

The roughest hands will be softened if 
care is given them before retiring at night. 
It scarcely requires five minutes to efface 
the traces which the rudest labor may have 
left on the hands. And the necessary 
articles are not expensive. A nail brush, a 
box of rose paste, a box of nail powder, a 
vial of ammonia, almond meal, and French 
amandine and a lemon are useful. 

If a callous spot forms on the inside of the 
hand it must be rubbed, as patiently and for 
as long a time as may be necessary, with 
pumice stone. The operation preserves the 
softness of the hand and thedelicacy of touch. 

Stains may be removed by lemon, borax, 
or ammonia, according to their nature. 
When the hands have been perfectly 
cleansed, rub them with French amandine. 
Wear gloves while sweeping. 

If glycerine were not injurious to many 
skins it would be excellent. The following 
mixture will be acceptable to those who can 
use glycerine : The yolk of an ^%%, six 
grammes of "glycerine, seven grammes of 
borax. Mix well. Rub the hands with 
this salve, and cover them with gloves. 
Almond meal will do as well. 

If the hands are very rough, and have 
been much used, cold-cream may be em- 
ployed with great advantage at the begin- 
ning of the daily treatment which has been 
suggested. After using for one month the 
hands will be suflSciently improved to need 
only almond meal. 

Women who do no domestic work may 
keep their hands white by simply washing 
them night and morning in bran-water. 

22 



Washing the Hands Duritujf the Day. 

Never have soiled hands, but do not wash 
oftener than necessary. Lemon juice wil) 
remove many stains. If a little salt is added 
to this juice it is still more efiicacioms. 

A bit of orange or lemon skin remove? 
tar stains. Care must be taken to wipe the 
hands . dry immediately. Fresh tomatoes 
and strawberries, a leaf of sorrel, a little 
milk, are excellent for removing ink rtains, 

Before peeling Irish potatoes, the hands 
should be well dried, and should not be 
washed immediately after. By this slight, 
precaution they will not be stained with the 
juice of the tuber. After paring certain 
fruits and vegetables a little lemon juice re- 
moves all stain. The hands must first b^ 
moistened in water. 

To cleanse the hands after very rough 
work use a good emollient or cream. Rub 
the hands with a small quantity of the emol- 
lient, which will penetrate well into the 
pores of the skin and become incorporated 
with the greasy substances. Wash thf* 
hands in hot water and soap. This treat' 
ment make them very soft. 

Hands which are ' ' sanctified by labor ' 
may thus retain an agreeable appearance, 
which is not to be disdained, especially' 
when it is so easily obtained. 

Moist hands are unfit for certain kindf 
of work, and are unpleasant to the touch. 

To keep the hands agreeably dry, rub 
the palms several times each day with a 
cloth soaked in the following preparation : 
Cologne water, seventy grammes ; tincture 
of belladonna, fifteen grammes. 

Hands which have a tendency to per- 
spire too freely when exposed to the slight- 
est heat may be washed in water in which ? 
little powdered alum has been dissolved. 

Sunburned Hands. 

At the close of summer, hands whicl? 
have been kissed too often by the sun are a 
source of annoyance. The present rage for 
out-of-door sports, such as croquet, lawn 
tennis, sailing and rowing, has played havoc 
with many fair hands. The sunburned 
hand is in harmony with the life led in 
summer. On returning to town and re- 
suming laces and silks the contrast is not 



74 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



pleasing. One is tempted too late to regret 
not having worn gloves. 

Time is a certain cure for sunburn. 
When it is impossible to wait, there are 
other remedies which it may be well to try ; 
lemon juice and glycerine mixed, or a paste 
made of corn starch and glycerine, or simply 
buttermilk. The acidity of the latter is said 
to remove freckles and sunburn, and the oil 
contained in it is beneficial and softening to 
the skin. 

Chapped Hands. 

For children, and even for many grown 
persons, winter is the time for chapped 
hands. It requires but little care to avoid 
the suffering which results from chapped 
skin . It is essential that the hands should 
be thoroughly dried each time they are 
washed, and never exposed, when moist, 
either to cold or to the heat of the fire. 

Women who are occupied with house- 
hold cares, who paint, or are engaged in 
similar occupations, are obliged to wash 
their hands frequently, and in order to save 
time they are often careless about drying 
them ; the result is a rough, red skin. 
Never neglect to dry your hands as thor- 
oughly as possible. They may also be 
manipulated before the fire until soft and 
flexible. 

Rubbing the hands with amandine before 
retiring preserves them from the disastrous 
effects of cold or heat to which they may 
have been subjected. They must not be 
washed in cold water, as this predisposes 
them to chapping, but very hot water is not 
good for them either. People who have not 
moist skins should be especially careful to 
dry the hands thoroughly after washing. 
They may afterward be covered with cold- 
cream or amandine, which should be wiped 
off with a soft towel. 

Where these precautions are not taken 
and the hands are neglected, a cure may be 
effected by the following treatment : Wash 
the hands in hot water and anoint them well 
with amandine, honey paste, or cold-cream. 
Rub the hands together, interlacing the fin- 
gers, until they become soft and are no 
longer easily hurt when struck against any 
hard substance. Afterward it will be neces- 
sary to remove the grease by washing them 



in warm water with a few drops of ammonia 
and a pure soap. Change the water several 
times. Then apply to the hands the follow- 
ing mixture : Glycerine, cologne, soft water, 
equal parts. After this process the hands 
will be soft and not at all greasy or sticky, 
as might be supposed. 

Chilblains. 

Chilblains are still more to be feared than 
chapping. A feeble temperament and bad 
nourishment are often the causes of this 
affection. One should walk a great deal, 
use the hands freely, rub the chilblain parts 
which are not bleeding with alcoholic prepa- 
rations, and keep hands and feet very warm. 

One would suppose the hands less deli- 
cate and less in need of covering than the 
face. However, everyone knows the neces- 
sity of protecting them from the biting cold 
of frost or wind . 

In damp and mild winters chilblains are 
most painful. There are many remedies for 
this trouble, which is not dangerous, but 
the cause of great suffering, and which will 
deform the prettiest hands in the world. 

First. — Pound the bulbs of lilies and 
place them in a vase containing nut oil. 
Apply this liniment on the sore places, and 
cover with a soft cloth. (This is excellent. ) 

Second. — Honey will cicatrize open chil- 
blains. Anoint the parts affected, and cover 
with a soft white cloth. 

Third. — Poultice the hands at night ; 
rub with the following mixture in the morn- 
ing : Tincture benzoin, sixty grammes"; 
honey, thirty grammes ; water, 210 grammes. 
Mix well. 

Fourth. — Wash ulcerated chilblains with 
tincture of myrrh diluted with warm water. 

Fifth. — Anoint cracked chilblains with 
Sultana pomatum, and cover with a soft, 
fine cloth. Cracked chilblains are difficult 
to cure in winter. 

Care of the Nails. 

The nails should be cut in a curve which 
follows the shape of the end of the finger. 
Their surface should also be polished. One 
hour a week spent in caring for them is 
sufficient to keep them in good order, if 
they are rubbed and cleaned carefully each 
day. 



226 



book: of EriQUETTE 



75 



Never use a steel instrument in cleaning 
iie nails, as it hardens them and causes the 
dust to accumulate beneath. Nothing is 
better than the juice of a lemon, which 
keeps the skin at the base from encroaching 
on the nail, and also prevents white spots, 
often caused by lack of care. Cold-cream 
at night, or French amandine, is excellent 
for softening the nails, and also prevents 
them from breaking off and becoming dull. 

A manicure set is indispensable for the 
proper care of the nails. It should consist 
of an ordinary nail-brush, a still smaller one 
to go under the nail, a file, a polishing- 
brush, curved scissors — a pair for each 
hand ; the nails of the right hand cannot be 
easily cut with scissors made for cutting the 
nails of the left hand. 

Good Taste in Dressing. 

The question of dress is one of leading 
importance in modern society, and the 
woman who affects indifference to it Iscks 
judgment. A woman who dresses badly 
loses half her opportunities, that is, if the 
defects in her toilet are the result of her in- 
difference on the subject. Mme. de Main- 
tenon asserted that good taste indicated 
good sense. 

It was also she who justly blamed 
women for overtrimming heavy stuffs and 
wearing ill-chosen ornaments. Nothing 
can be more ridiculous than ornaments out 
of place. A gown of cheap material, if 
' well made, is often pretty, though simple 
and unpretentious. 

Short, stout women should never wear 
gowns of rough, shaggy materials. Skirts 
made of them fall in stiff and ungraceful 
folds, and the bodies are equally unbe- 
coming. 

Dress fabrics in woolen goods should 
always be soft to the eye and to the touch. 
China crepes, colored silks of medium 
weight, make charming costumes, and are 
to be preferred to the stiff silks ; but a black 
silk gown should be of good quality, as an 
inferior grade does not wear well and soon 
grows shabby. 

Beautiful feathers are durable and grace- 
ful ornaments for bonnets ; cheap ones are 
poor economy. L,ow-priced finery is not 
worth buying. One should never econo- 



mize in this way. It is never wise tc buy 
one article of dress noticeably richer than 
the rest of the wardrobe. For example, a 
velvet dress is serviceable, but unless one 
can afford other costumes as elegant, it is 
out of place. 

Mixed cotton and wool goods are usually 
almost worthless. One all- woolen gown is 
worth two of them. 

Pale-blue is apt to make blondes look 
ashen. Dark- blue, on the contrary, is very 
becoming to them, and a blue velvet gown 
brings out all their delicate coloring. Neu- 
tral tints are very unbecoming to them. 
Brunettes with an inclination to be sallow 
will do well to avoid blue, as it makes them 
appear greenish or tawny. Green is trying 
to them unless they are very fair. It suits 
blondes perfectly, especially those who have 
color. 

Pale brunettes should affect shades of 
red, which increase their beauty. Crimson 
may be worn by blondes. Yellow is a su- 
perb contrast for a pale brunette, especially 
under artificial light, when it is more sub- 
dued than in the sunlight. This color soft- 
ens an olive skin, and borrows from it a 
creamy tint, harmonizing wonderfully well 
with dark hair and brilliant eyes. On the 
contrary, yellow is unbecoming to most 
blondes. 

Concerning ^Esthetics. 

One must be a pretty and agreeable 
woman as well as a good wife and mother 
to keep the husband and father fond of his 
home. It is often possible to become pretty 
and agreeable by taking a little pains. 
Choose for the toilet colors which harmonize 
with the skin and hair, and wear well-fitting 
boots and gloves, also pretty home gowns, 
with sleeves arranged to show to advantage 
the white and rounded arm. 

Do not neglect a daily walk in the fresh 
air. Without this wholesome exercise it is 
impossible to retain health and beauty. Use 
your intelligence to remain pretty or to be- 
come so. Add physical to moral and in- 
tellectual culture. Superintend your house 
and busy yourself with your children. This 
activity of the body, the heart, and the 
mind, is necessary to those who desire to 
remain beautiful and beloved. 



227 



76 



BOOK OF ETIQUETTE 



The Art of Appearing Always Young. 

As a charming old lady once said, " To 
remain always young one must be always 
amiable." 

A melancholy face, a sullen or evil look, 
is like coming in contact with winter ; 
whereas a serene face, a gracious air, a kind 
and good expression, are like a spring day, 
and a smile on the lips like its sunshine. 

Sulky people, you may have remarked, 
always appear to be ten years older than 
they really are. The face grows wrinkled 
from contracting the brows ; the mouth 
projects disagreeably when sulking. 

Behold beside the portrait of the sullen 
woman the picture of a sweet and gracious 
woman : all her features are in repose, her 
lips form an adorable Cupid's bow, kind- 
ness softens her glance, and goodness illu- 
minates her brow. 

Perhaps she is the elder, but she will 
always appear young and charming. 

Grace of Movement. 

To be graceful, harmony must govern 
our movements. 

There are women who possess in a su- 
perior degree the intuition of harmony, who 
select unconsciously their seats, their poses, 
according to the toilets which they wear. 
Dressed in a simple costume, they lean 
against a piece of furniture of severe style, 
or sit erect upon an oaken chair, which is in 
complete harmony with the appearance they 
present in their tailor-made gowns. In the 
evening, robed in silks and laces, they as 
naturally select luxurious sofas, ottomans, 
and easy -chairs, which are in perfect accord 
with their costumes. This is not possible 
for the stiff, angular woman, whose move- 
ments are brusque and awkward. 

Those who know how to walk and carry 
themselves possess equilibrium. Perhaps 
this gift of nature has never been lost by ac- 
quiring bad habits, or they have recon- 
quered it by means of study. 

If you are inclined to stoop, walk to and 
fro with your hands behind your back when 
you are alone in the garden or house. 

Children should be taught to throw their 
shoulders back by being made to walk with 
elbows close to the body. This will natur- 
ally keep the chin free and the chest thrown 



forward. The back will curve in, the 
shoulder-blades be kept in their places in- 
stead of projecting, the bust will arch itself, 
and the entire weight of the body be thrown 
on the hips, which is necessary for a perfect 
equilibrium. 

One should practice touching the ground 
first with the ball of the foot, tou avoid 
walking on the heels with toes in the air, 
which is ugly, clumsy, and ungraceful, ex- 
posing the whole system to the useless jolt- 
ing Nature tried to spare us when she 
formed the ball of the foot. 

When mounting a stairway or climbing 
a hill, for the sake of the lungs as well as 
to obtain a graceful carriage, both back and 
head should be held erect, 

Grace of Form. 

To retain your graceful form, then, learn 
how to carry yourself. If women would 
be more careful about this while young, 
they would have finer figures and more 
slender hips when older. The woman who 
holds herself straight, who does not draw 
her chin to the collar of her garment, who 
keeps back her shoulder-blades, and thus 
rounds out her bust, without an apparent 
effort keeps her muscles firm and flexible 
and the desired curve in place of flatness. 
Thus the heaviness which is so much 
dreaded, and which destroys all youthful- 
ness and grace, may be avoided. 

The woman who holds herself well, who 
throws the weight of her body on her hips 
(this cannot be too often repeated), instead 
of allowing it to be supported by the abdo- 
men, has the carriage of a queen, the walk 
of a nymph . Do not fear that you will ac- 
quire a haughty expression. On the con- 
trary, if your eyes are tender and your 
smile is amiable, your proud grace will not 
make you unsympathetic. 

I do not mean by this that you should 
carry your head like a peacock, or stiffen 
yourself, or strut ; but hold Ihe bust in the 
firm and straight position which nature de- 
signed, whether you walk, or sit, or stand. 

By following this advice you will stoop 
or lean with a thousand times more grace 
and flexibility than a woman who relaxes, 
bends, rounds her back from a mere habit 
of indifference. 



228 



BOOK v.— PART I. 

TUBERCULOSIS 

The entire nation has been aroused to fight The Great White Plague and 
stamp it out of existence. Millions have died of this dread disease, and its 
terrible infection seems to be lurking for us in every walk of life. It is of the 
greatest importance that every one should know how to prevent consumption 
from taking hold of the system, and Dr. Flick, the author of this section, has 
written it down in the clearest language. Dr. Flick is one of the very foremost 
authorities on consumption, in the world. When Henry Phipps, who was 
the partner of Andrew Carnegie, founded his great Institute for the Study, 
Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis, Dr. Flick was chosen to be its 
active head. His reputation and position give these words of his the greatest 
weight. He tells what the disease is and how it spreads, how it is prevented, 
and how it can be cured, so that the reader is well prepared to protect himself 
and his loved ones from this calamity. 



Tuberculosis 

A CURABLE AND PREVENTABLE DISEASE 

By LAWRENCE F. FLICK, M. D. 

Medical Director of the Henry Phipps Institute for the Study, 
Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis. 



The Microscopic World. — With Pas- 
teur's discovery of the micro-organic world 
civilization entered upon a new epoch. 
With it many of the phenomena of life 
which had not been understood and which 
had led to superstitious practices became 
clear and intelligible. Disease for the first 
time appeared in its real character and came 
within the control of man on a rational and 
exact basis. In the wake of Pasteur's 
work Koch discovered the active cause of 
consumption, a living entity subject to the 
same fundamental laws as govern all living 
things. With Koch's revelation an on- 
slaught upon consumption began. It has 
gained force with every step since then and 
will culminate in the complete extermina- 
tion of the white plague, as consumption 
has been properly termed. 

What Consumption is. — Consumption 
is caused by the growth of certain micro- 
organisms in the tissue of our bodies. 
These micro-organisms grow in us in the 
same way as wheat, timothy and clover 
grow in a field. The chief of them is called 
the tubercle bacillus. Without it consump- 
tion cannot take place, but it alone cannot 
produce all the phenomena which we know 
as consumption. Some of the others 
which help to make up the disease are the 
streptococcus and the staphylococcus. 
The word consumption means burning up, 
and was given to the disease because the 
person who is affected wastes away as 
though he were consumed. In olden times 



the disease was not recognized until the 
patient was on the brink of the grave. The 
stages which lead up to this fatal termina- 
tion were usually looked upon as other dis- 
eases and were known under other names. 
This relationship was not recognized until 
scientific men began to dissect the human 
body after death and carefully study the 
changes which had taken place. It was 
then that the word tuberculosis came into 
use. It was gradually substituted for the 
word consumption. 

What Tuberculosis is. — Tuberculosis is 
the implantation and growth of the tuber- 
cle bacillus in the tissues of a human being 
or an animal. The tubercle bacillus as a 
living entity conforms more nearly to the 
laws governing the vegetable kingdom 
than those governing the animal kingdom. 
It is rod-shaped about one six-thousandth 
of an inch in length and about one hundred- 
thousandth of an inch in thickness. It 
grows on the tissue as a parasite and ordi- 
narily does not grow except upon the tissue 
of some living thing. It can be grown 
artificially in a laboratory on boiled potato, 
in beef tea and on agar, but it is difficult 
to grow in this way. It is only when it 
grows upon a living thing that the phe- 
nomena which it produces are called tuber- 
culosis. The word tuberculosis is derived 
from the Latin word "tuber" which means 
a little root or lump. The name was given 
to the disease because the first stage of it 
is the production of little lumps. 

^31 3 



TUBERCULOSIS 



Cigar maki 
Plasterei'S and white washers (IV) 
Compositors, printei*s and pressmen (IV) 
Servants (I) 
Hat and cap makers (IV) 
Bookkeepei"s. clerks, and copyists (U) 
Laborers (not agricultural) (I) 
ire makers (IV) 
Cabinet makeis and upholsterers (IV) 



pilots, fishermen, and oystermen, (VIII) 
Painters, glaziers, and varnishei'S (IV) 
ers k 1 V ; 

'tc. (VII) 

Plumbers, gaa and steamfittei-s (IV) 
Masons (brick and stone) (IV 
Butchers (IV) 

Saloon keepers, liquor dealei'S, Ibartendera. restaurant keepers (III) 
BXivery stable keepers and hostlers, (VIII) 



Dra3"Tncn, hackmen,! teamstei-s, etc 
Boatmen and canahiien (VIII ) 



(VIII) 




tion. If tubercu- 

Marbleandstonecutters(lV) iQg-g yr^^Q alwaVS 
ikers and tobaceo workers (IV) . - . "^ . 

recognized when it 
is merely tubercu- 
losis and proper 
treatment followed 
nobody would need 
to die of the dis- 
ease. When the 
tubercle bacillus 
gets lodging in the 
tissue it reproduces 
itself very rapidly. 
The cells of the 
body at once start 
a fight with it and 
in the struggle 
many of them die. 
An accumulation 
of dead cells and 
living and dead 
bacilli takes place 
on the battle field 
and a little lump 
forms. This is the 
lump which has 
given us the name 
tuberculosis. By 
and by when the 
little lump grows 
large enough to be- 
come a foreign 
body, nature cuts 
it off from healthy 
tissue in order to 
save that which is 
still healthy. Here 
is where the other 
micro-o rganisms 
come in to help the 
tubercle bacillus. 
The streptococcus 

Death-rate from consumption, of men in fifty-three occupations, in the registration States -„j the stanhvlo- 
of the United States— 1900. (Brandt.) i • i ■ ^ 

coccus which exist 



tioners (IV) 
Iron andlsteel workei-s (IV) 
Carpenters and joiners (IV ) 

(not locomotive) (IV) 
Leather woikers (IV) 



pers (III) 
Mill and factory operatives (textiles) (IV) 
^iMachinists (IV) 
B Architects, artists, teachers of art (VI ) 
BGjardeuers, florists, nurserymen, and vinegr 
V — .•-.■ J geons (VI) 



I Lawyers (VI ) 

iPoliceme'n, watchmen, and detectives (|V) 
I Boot and shoe makei's, (V) 
■Soldiers, sailors, and murines (U.S.) (V) 
iCollector^, auctioneers, and agents (II) 
iSteam railroad employees (VIII) 
I Clergymen (VI) 
i Miners and quarrymen (Villi) 
I Farmei-s, planters, farm laborei-s (VIII) 
s, brokers, officials of companies (II) 



Distinction between Consumption and 
Tuberculosis. — In the popular mind con- 
sumption and tuberculosis are one and the 
same thing. They are not the same thing, 
however, and it is worth while keeping the 
distinction in mind. Consumption is the 
terminal stage of tuberculosis but tuber- 
culosis does not have to become consump- 

232 



very plentifully in nature, and which can 
do no harm to the body so long as it is 
perfectly healthy, get lodgment in this 
injured tissue and help to break it down. 
What is called softening takes place and 
the little lump becomes a cheesy mass. 
This is consumption. For the purpose of 
getting rid of this dead matter nature breaks 



TUBERCULOSIS 



a channel into the nearest opening of the 
body and throws it out. This is called 
ulceration and ejection of the dead tissue. 
During this time there is danger of the 
tubercle bacillus again getting bagk into 
the system through re-infection. If the 
person is at all uncleanly or does not de- 
stroy every particle of this dead tissue 
when it comes off, he is sure to re-inoculate 
himself. 

Recurrence of Tuberculosis. — No one 
ever dies' of a single attack of tuberculosis. 
The first attack is mild. This is followed 
by one slightly more severe, and there is a 
series of attacks, each more severe than 
the preceding one until finally the process 
culminates in death. 

Colds, Influenza and Pneumonia in 
relation to Tuberculosis. — Colds, influenza 
and pneumonia have been looked upon 
as causes of consumption and are still 
regarded as such. They are not primary 
causes but secondary causes. When the 
tubercle bacillus has gotten into the system 
these diseases can help to break down the 
individual and hurry up the tuberculous 
process but they cannot themselves pro- 
duce tuberculosis. The injury which they 
themselves can do may also prepare the 
individual for the tubercle bacillus. They 
are themselves due to living micro-organ- 
isms which are independent entities. Colds 
are probably due to various kinds of micro- 
organisms whilst influenza and pneumonia 
are due each to a specific micro-organism. 
A micro-organism can only re-produce its 
own kind and can never be transformed 
into other micro-organisms. A cold will 
therefore always produce a cold, influenza 
will always produce influenza, pneumonia 
will always produce pneumonia and tuber- 
culosis will always produce tuberculosis. 
For a person who has tuberculosis an attack 
of cold, influenza or pneumonia is a serious 
matter and for this reason tuberculous 
people should keep away from people who 
have those diseases. 

History of Consumption. — Consump- 
tion has existed in the world as long back 
as history records anything. It is found 
in every part of the habitable globe. It 
has been a plague upon the earth in all 



times. It is a disease of the poor, and 
flourishes best among those in the 
lowest walks of life. In the United 
States upwards of a hundred thousand 
people die of it annually, and throughout 
the civilized world there are at least a mil- 
lion deaths a year from the disease. We 
are apt to form our ideas about its preva- 
lence by the death rate from consumption. 
This does not give a true picture. Many 
people die of tuberculosis and the death 
is recorded under some other name. Many 
people are, moreover, crippled by the dis- 
ease without dying. Some of the names 
under which consumption parades are 
marasmus, meningitis, scrofula, inanition, 
peritonitis, Potts disease and white swelling. 
It often appears even under other names, 
such as typhoid fever, pneumonia and 
pleurisy. Many of the misshapen people 
whom we see on the streets have been made 
so by tuberculosis. Nearly all spinal cur- 
vatures are due to this disease. Some of 
the horrible disfigurements of the skin are 
due to lupus which is caused by tuberculo- 
sis. Some of the insanities are due to this 
disease. In reality the death rate which 
is recorded under the head of consumption 
gives b..it a very faint picture of the toll 
which tuberculosis levies upon the human 
family. Our insane asylums, orphan asy- 
lums, almshouses, houses of refuge, re- 
formatories, prisons and penitentiaries 
shelter many of the indirect results of 
tuberculosis, and give some indication of 
what this disease costs the human family. 
How Tuberculosis got into the World. — 
The question is often asked how did tuber- 
culosis get into the world? As a disease 
it probably came through the sin of man. 
It is not, however, due to providential 
intervention, as many formerly believed, 
but is the natural result of the working out 
of nature's laws. We now knoAv that there 
are in nature millions of micro-organisms 
of various kinds which have to do with the 
changes going on in nature all the time. 
What we know as saprophitic micro-organ- 
isms change dead organic tissue into inor- 
ganic tissue. They break up those things 
which had life, and which for one reason or 
another have ended their usefulness in 

233 



TUBERCULOSIS 



death, into inorganic substances so that the 
elements can again go back to nature to be 
taken up as food by the living things which 
are still growing and developing. In this 
way the chain of change from organic to 
inorganic tissue and from inorganic to 
organic tissue is kept up. The probabili- 
ties are that the tubercle bacillus originally 
was one of these innocent micro-organisms 
which gradually acquired the power to 
grow on living tissue through the debase- 
ment of that tissue by man when he failed 
to live up to the laws of nature. Even 
now the individual who keeps himself per- 
fectly well, lives in the open air and eats 

Deaths 
per 100,000 ^ 
living u 

too 6 White 600 

Mothers born in 









m ^ 




300 


o 




_, 




















eS 


s 


". •^ 


M «> 






1 ^ 




o ° 


■^ t 






Li 


o 


m O 




>. ^ >: 


200 




e? « w o o . 

Mortality by races. (Brandt). 

only the things which he ought to eat can 
resist tuberculosis. When, however, 
through dissipation, through overwork, 
through improper housing or through any 
offense against the laws of good health he 
puts his tissue below par, his cells become 
a ready prey to the tubercle bacillus. In 
time by evolution this bacillus has acquired 
the power of attacking living cells and this 
no doubt is how tuberculosis came into the 
world. 

Is Tuberculosis Inherited? — The old 
idea was that tuberculosis was inherited. 
People got this idea because they saw the 
disease occur so frequently in families, and 
saw it run through two or three genera- 



tions. We now know why this happens. 
It is not because tuberculosis is inherited 
but because it is communicable in a pecu- 
liar way. For communication of the dis- 
ease a long intimate association is necessary, 
such as most frequently exists in the family, 
and therefore the disease is conveyed 
oftenest adong the family tree. The in- 
timacy which is necessary for the spread of 
tuberculosis may also exist outside of the 
family in places of employment, and the 
disease is sometimes conveyed in this way. 
Tuberculosis is never transmitted from 
the parent to the offspring in the true sense 
of heredity. 

Sometimes a child is born with the 
disease, but this is because the mother has 
the disease so far advanced and so widely 
distributed in her body that the child gets 
it by direct contact. The child is then 
born with the disease and usually dies 
shortly after birth. Even this occurs very 
rarely, and so free is offspring of tuberculous 
parents from the disease that in some parts 
of the world tuberculous cattle are used 
for breeding purposes, the young being 
separated from the parents immediately 
after birth and thus brought up in perfect 
health. 

Predisposition to Tuberculosis. — 

Whilst the disease cannot be inherited a 
predisposition to it may be inherited. 
Some families undoubtedly are more prone 
to tuberculosis than others. This is not 
only true of families but of races. The 
negro race and the Indian race are very 
much more susceptible to consumption 
than the white races. Some white races 
are more susceptible than others. More- 
over, in some people the disease runs a 
much more violent course than in others 
and is much more likely to prove fatal. 
Some races get the disease readily but have 
it in an exceedingly mild form so that it 
rarely proves fatal. Predisposition is usu- 
ally divided into three kinds, individual, 
family and racial. The individual predis- 
position is often brought about by improper 
living and by excess in eating and drinking. 
Family predisposition may be due to inher- 
ited tendencies or to environment under 
which the family lives. Racial predispo- 



TUBERCULOSIS 



sition appears to hinge largely upon the 
length of time to which the race has been 
exposed to the disease and the resistance 
which the race has built up against the 
disease. We do not know yet exactly 
what constitutes predisposition and why it 
exists but there is probably the same funda- 
mental law underlying it which governs 
the usefulness of soil for certain crops. 
We all know that some crops do bettei on 
some soils than others and that if we con- 
tinue to plant the same crops on the same 
soil, year in and year out, it is only a ques- 
tion of time until the soil will no longer 
produce the crop. Future observations 
and study will no doubt give us more light 
upon this subject. 

Diseases as Predisposing Causes of Con- 
sumption. — There are some diseases which 
predispose to consumption. They do this 
in two ways, by changing the contour of 
the body and by modifying the tissues of 
the body. To the former belong rickets, 
post nasal adenoid growths, rheumatism 
and gonorrhea. To the latter small pox, 
measles, whooping cough, typhoid fever, 
syphilis and pneumonia. Rickets may, 
for instance, produce chicken breast and 
thereby interfere with healthy breathing. 
Enlargement of the adenoid tissue also 
interferes with breathing. Rheumatism 
may do damage to the heart or to the 
pleura or the lining membranes of the 
joints and thereby pave the way for the 
tubercle bacillus. Much of the blame 
which is put upon small pox, measles and 
such acute diseases as a predisposing cause 
of tuberculosis is probably unwarranted, 
but it is possible that the damage which 
these diseases may do to the tissues may 
make soil for tuberculosis. A person who 
has gone through an acute disease while 
still weak offers good soil for implantation 
of the tubercle bacillus if he is exposed to 
contagion at that time, and in this sense, at 
least, all of the acute diseases predispose to 
tuberculosis. 

^ Dissipation as a Predisposing Cause. — 

Dissipation is a predisposing cause of con- 
sumption. In this way consumption is 
the wages of sin. Dissipation is a scatter- 
ing of vital forces by excessive indulgence 



of any kind. It always strikes at the most 
vulnerable point, and this is true when the 
indulgence even seems to feed the body. 
Whatever makes for lowered vitality 
makes for consumption, and dissipation of 
every kind makes for lowered vitality. 
• Dissipation which directly or indirectly 
grows out of the affinities of the sexes, 
self-abuse, sowing of wild oats, beau catch- 
ing and all the arts and devices which go 
with it in these times, may make soil for 
tuberculosis by exhausting the nervous 
system. Loss of sleep, excessive eating 
and drinking, excessive use of tea, coffee 
and tobacco all are predisposing causes. 

Want and Overwork as Predisposing 
Causes. — Two of the most potent predis- 
posing causes of consumption are want and 
overwork. This is why tuberculosis is so 
largely a disease of the poor. Want 
means not only bad nutrition of the 
body but bad housing. When the 
body does not get enough nutrition it 
becomes good soil for the tubercle bacillus. 
Bad nutrition may be due to insufficient 
food or insufficient fresh air. The poor 
are apt to lack both food and fresh air, 
partly because they cannot afford to buy 
them and partly on account of ignorance. 
Much of the food which poor people buy 
contains little nutrition and they, more- 
over, do not know how to prepare it so as 
to make it digestible. Poor people should 
learn to buy milk and eggs rather than 
pastry and sweets. They can really get 
more nutrition for their money in milk and 
eggs than they can get in any other food. 
Fresh air is at the command of everyone 
and there can scarcely be any excuse for 
anyone not having enough of it. In a 
sense, however, we are compelled to buy 
fresh air indoors because we need 
houses into which fresh air can be admitted. 
Houses are not built in a way which makes 
it easy to get fresh air into them, but with 
better understanding of these matters all 
houses will be built so that the inhabitants 
of them can sleep in the open air. How- 
ever humble the dwelling the inhabitant 
of it should insist upon having the sleeping 
room so ventilated that he is practically 
in the open air. As to overwork this is not 

235 



8 



TUBERCULOSIS 



always within the control of the individual. 
Working people, however, should realize 
that excessive fatigue greatly predisposes 
to consumption, and when they have to 
work hard should take rest on every possi- 
ble occasion. When people have tuber- 
culosis they should reduce their work to 
within the limits of fatigue, as otherwise 
they are bound to go under. Of all pre- 
disposing causes to the disease, overwork is 
probably the most potent. 

Alcohol in Tuberculosis. — In olden 
times and among a great many people 




Mortality from tuberculosis of the lungs in European states per million living 
(Koehler-Hillier.) 



even now alcohol is looked upon as a pro- 
tection and a cure of consumption. It is 
neither, but on the contrary is a predis- 
posing cause, and when a person has tuber- 
culosis helps to develop the disease. It 
may be that a very limited amount of al- 
cohol taken at mealtime is of use in build- 
ing up the body, but even this is uncertain. 
But whether a small amount of alcohol 
is beneficial or not it is quite certain that 
the quant ;ty which can safely be taken daily 
is exceedingly small, and that when this 
amount is exceeded the alcohol becomes 
poisonous and injurious. The only safe 
236 



practice to follow is to abstain from the 
use of alcohol altogether. Alcohol in the 
parent, moreover, leads to degeneration 
in the offspring and may create a predis- 
position to tuberculosis in the offspring. 
For the person who has tuberculosis there 
is only one safe practice and that is to 
abstain entirely from alcohol. 

Climate and Tuberculosis. — It used to be 
taught that the only cure for tuberculosis 
was climate, and lots of people still have an 
idea that climate is a very important factor 
in both the development and treatment of 

tuberculosis. As a 
matter of fact cli- 
mate has no influ- 
ence either upon 
the development 
or the treatment 
of tuberculosis. 
Every part of the 
world has had tu- 
berculosis, and 
nearly every part 
of the world has 
the disease now. 
The disease is more 
virulent in warm 
climates than in 
cold. There are 
many parts of the 
world which have 
been at one time 
free from tubercu- 
losis but which 
when the disease 
was introduced had 
it as abundantly as 
any other place and sometimes more abun- 
dantly than places in which the disease had 
existed for a long time. At present the beau- 
tiful climates of California, Arizona, Oregon, 
Nevada, Colorado, and some of the south- 
ern states have the highest mortality from 
tuberculosis in the United States. In a 
general way cold climates give better 
protection against consumption and are of 
more use in the treatment of the disease 
than warm climates. For some people 
high altitudes are better than low altitudes, 
but for some consumptives low altitudes 
are better than high altitudes. It is per- 



TUBERCULOSIS 



fectly safe to disregard the question of 
climate entirely in dealing with tubercu- 
losis. 

Immunity in Tuberculosis. — There is a 
resistance to tuberculosis in human beings 
which is called immunity. Most people 
possess it in some degree, but some to a 
much greater degree than others. Some 
races possess it in a greater degree than 
others and some families possess it in a 
greater degree than others. The proba- 
bilities are that immunity is gradually 
developed by resistance to the disease, and 
that for this reason families and races which 
have been fighting the disease in some of 
their members for long periods have great 
resistance. Children born of tuberculous 
parents are apt to have more immunity 
than the parents had, and when the disease 
has been in a family for three or four gen- 
erations those who have withstood it usu- 
ally have a very great immunity. Of the 
various races the Jews have the greatest 
immunity. There is no permanence in 
immunity against tuberculosis in the indi- 
vidual, the family or in the race. It may 
be lost after many generations in the family 
and it may be lost in the individual through 
depression in health. Racial immunity is 
probably the most durable of all. 

Contagiousness of Tuberculosis. — 

Tuberculosis being due to a living thing is 
communicable from one person to another 
and cannot be gotten except by communi- 
cation from a previous case. The mode of 
communication 'of tuberculosis is by con- 
tact and the disease is therefore contagious. 
This contact need not be direct but may be 
indirect through a place or thing. A 
room which has been occupied by a con- 
sumptive or a thing which has been used by 
a consumptive may accumulate enough 
of the contagion to convey the disease to 
another person who subsequently occupies 
such a room or uses such a thing. Now- 
adays the words contagious and infectious 
are used synonymously although formerly 
they had different meanings. The old 
meaning of infection was conveyance of a 
disease through a force generated outside 
of the person giving the disease to the per- 
son receiving it. Yellow fever, for instance 



is an infectious disease according to the old 
meaning of the word because it is carried 
from one person to another by a mosquito. 
The contagion of tuberculosis differs, how- 
ever, from the contagion of such diseases 
as small pox, measles and scarlet fever, in 
that .it is very much slower and requires 
longer and more intimate exposure. You 
cannot get tuberculosis by a single contact 
with a person who has the disease; you 
have to be in intimate relationship with 
such a person for a considerable time. 
You can get small pox, measles and scarlet 
fever by a single momentary contact with 
persons who have these diseases. The 
slowness and mildness of the contagion of 
tuberculosis makes the prevention of the 
disease very easy when properly under- 
stood. 

• Mode of Contagion of Tuberculosis. — 
The contagion of tuberculosis is always 
contained in broken down tissue given off 
by the person who has the disease. Usu- 
ally this tissue is thrown off in the form of 
spit but sometimes it is given off in the 
form of matter. When a consumptive 
coughs he may spray out some of this 
matter in his cough and he may do the 
same when he sneezes. The contagion is 
not in the breath, however. A tubercu- 
lous subject is not contagious until he be- 
gins to give off broken down matter, because 
there is no contagion except in this broken 
down matter. A tuberculous subject who 
gives off broken down matter can make 
himself non-contagious by properly dis- 
posing of that matter immediately when 
it is given off. The dangerousness of the 
consumptive, therefore, depends upon his 
habits. If he spits around promiscuously 
or if he spits into handkerchiefs or rags 
and smears himself all over with the spu- 
tum he is a dangerous person to have 
around, but if he spits into a sputum cup 
which he holds close to his mouth, and if 
he always holds a paper napkin to his 
mouth when he coughs and sneezes and 
puts that paper napkin into a bag where he 
cannot smear anything, he is entirely safe. 
How Contagion can be Prevented. — A 
tuberculous subject should always put 
every particle of broken down tissue into 

237 



lO 



TUBERCULOSIS. 



a receptacle immediately when it is given 
off. If he expectorates he should hold a 
paper sputum cup close to his mouth so 
that he does not distribute any of the mat- 
ter over his clothing; after expectorating 
he should carefully wipe his mouth with a 
paper napkin, fold up the paper napkin and 
put it in a paper bag. When he has an 
accumulation of these things he should 
burn them. He should always keep his 
hands and lips clean and be careful to 
wash his hands and cleanse his lips before 
eating. If by any chance he spills any 
broken down tissue on his bed clothes or on 
the floor he should immediately clean the 
matter up. If the clothes are of a charac- 
ter that they can be boiled they should be 
boiled at once. Absolute cleanliness is the 
safest protection against the spread of 
tuberculosis. 

Consumption a House Disease. — Con- 
sumption has been called a house disease 
because it is in the house or rather in an 
enclosure of some kind that the disease is 
usually conveyed from one person to an- 
other. It is questionable whether tuber- 
culosis can be contracted out of doors. 
The enclosure in which the disease is most 
frequently contracted is the home, because 
it is in the home where the greatest inti- 
macy exists and where a consumptive 
spends most of his time. A house will 
harbor the contagion of tuberculosis a 
varying length of time accordingly as it is 
sanitary or unsanitary, light or dark, dry 
or damp. The tubercle bacillus does not 
live long in the bright light and fresh air 
but may live a very long time in a dark 
and dingy room. Damp, badly drained 
houses are particularly conducive to the 
development of tuberculosis. Next to the 
house the workshop undoubtedly is the 
place in which the disease is most fre- 
quently conveyed from the sick to the well. 
Working side by side, day in and day out, 
with a consumptive who expectorates 
carelessly in the shop is exceedingly dan- 
gerous. If the consumptive can be in- 
duced to properly care for his sputum there 
is no danger whatever. Stores and offices 
also are the means of spreading the disease. 
In such places the danger is greatest to 

238 



those who are next to the consumptive 
and seldom extends much beyond this 
immediate environment. All this danger 
can be done away with by proper disposal 
of the broken down tissue. 

Hotels and Boarding Houses as Means 
of Spreading Tuberculosis. — Hotels and 
boarding houses sometim_es become the 
media of spreading tuberculosis, although 
perhaps not as often as people think. The 
occupancy of a room by a consumptive for 
a single night or for two or three nights 
would ordinarily not contaminate the 
room sufficiently to make it possible for 
a subsequent occupant to get the disease. 
Neither would the occupancy of a badly 
infected room for a single night by a 
healthy person likely convey the disease. 
It really takes some time to implant tuber- 
culosis, and one would have to occupy a 
room of this kind for a good many days 
before he could get an implantation. 
Something depends upon the condition of 
one's health. If one is much depressed he 
will get an implantation much easier than 
when he is in perfect condition. 

Servants and Employees as Spreaders 
of Tuberculosis. — Servants and employees 
sometimes give tuberculosis to their em- 
ployers or to their fellow employees. A 
consumptive cook, for instance, could very 
easily infect a whole family. A consump- 
tive chamber-maid or dining-room girl 
might likewise give the disease to those 
upon whom she waits. There is all the 
more danger from sources of this kind 
because the person who has the disease is 
apt to hide it. Employers should insist 
that servants and employees of every kind 
shall use the proper receptacles for expec- 
torated matter when they cough and expec- 
torate. 

Contracting Tuberculosis in the School 
Room. — Much fear has been expressed by 
some of the danger of contracting tuber- 
culosis in the schoolroom. A consump- 
tive teacher may give the disease to his 
pupils, and a consumptive pupil may give 
it to his fellow pupils, but the danger from 
this sotirce is not great and can easily be 
obviated by proper cleanliness and proper 
disposal of the sputum. There is no neces- 



TUBERCULOSIS 



II 



sity for excluding consumptive teachers 
from the schoolroom provided they dispose 
of their sputum according to approved 
methods. The same is true of children. 
Besides children rarely have tuberculosis 
in a contagious form. 

Contracting Tuberculosis in Churches 
and Public Places. — Churches and public 
places may become infected with the con- 
tagion of tuberculosis, but contagion in 
such places rarely becomes intense enough 
to give the disease to anyone. Most people 
are in places of this kind for too short a 
time to get an implantation. Neverthe- 
less all public meeting places should be kept 
clean and free from dust. Carpets should 
not be used in these places, and the floors 
should be kept in such condition that they 
can easily be cleansed. The people who 
are most exposed to tuberculosis in churches 
and halls are the janitors and cleaners. 
By scrubbing the floors instead of sweeping 
them there would be much less danger of 
these contracting the disease. 

Contracting Tuberculosis in Public Con- 
veyances. — There is really very little dan- 
ger of contracting tuberculosis in public 
conveyances although some people have 
a great fear of getting the disease in this 
way. Here again, as in the hotel, the time 
during which both the consumptive and 
the well person occupy the conveyance is 
too short to implant the disease. The 
sleeping berths on railroads over which a 
great many consumptives travel may 
become dangerous to people who are greatly 
predisposed to the disease but even here 
the danger is not great. 

Getting Tuberculosis on the Street. — 
As has already been intimated there is 
practically no danger of getting tubercu- 
losis on the street. Rain, sunshine and 
fresh air very quickly devitalize the tuber- 
culous matter which is thrown on the street. 
Besides one could scarcel}^ take in enough 
of this matter whilst passing over a spot 
on which someone has expectorated, to get 
an implantation. Street cleaners and 
policemen who are on the street all the 
time very rarely have tuberculosis. 

Relationship between Human and 
Bovine Tuberculosis. — There has been a 



great deal of discussion of late on the rela- 
tionship between human and animal tuber- 
culosis. There is a wide difference of 
opinion as to the danger of human beings 
contracting the disease from animals. 
That animal and human tuberculosis are 
one and the same disease no one denies. 
It is probable, however, that the tubercle 
bacillus which has been accustomed to 
grow on animal tissue will not readily 
grow on human tissue, and that the bacillus 
which has been accustomed to grow on 
human tissue will not readily grow on ani- 
mal tissue. The preponderating evidence 
seems to be in favor of the view that hu- 
man beings practically never get tubercu- 
losis from animals. Until the subject is 
cleared up, however, one should not drink 
the milk of tuberculous cows in which the 
disease is far advanced and particularly 
in which the udder is involved. Whatever 
little danger there may be of getting tuber- 
culosis from the meat of tuberculous ani- 
mals is obviated by cooking. The danger 
which may exist of taking the disease 
through milk can also be obviated by pas- 
teurizing the milk. 

How the Tubercle Bacillus gets into 
the System. — In this connection it may be 
worth while considering how the tubercle 
bacillus gets into the system. It may get 
in by the skin, by the stomach and by the 
lungs. It rarely gets in by the skin, 
probably most frequently by the lungs and 
some times by the stomach. Whatever 
way it gets in, it first goes into the lymphat- 
ic glands or is carried into the circulation 
to be distributed throughout the body. 
By reason of its getting into the lymphatic 
system, it may lie dormant in the body for 
a long time before it develops into a dis- 
ease. 

Duration of Tuberculosis. — Tubercu- 
losis is a long-drawn-out, tedious disease 
under ordinary circumstances. It is a 
long time before it shows itself after implan- 
tation and frequently it develops even to 
the stage of breaking down without mani- 
festing many symptoms. Sometimes 
people have it for a lifetim.e without 
recognizing it. Some of the first symptoms 
are a sense of fatigue, indigestion, loss of 

239 



12 



TUBERCULOSIS 



appetite, loss of weight, slight feverish- 
ness and occasionally a little cough. At 
intervals the cough becomes severe and 
perhaps there is expectoration but this is 
usually ascribed to a cold. Between 
these attacks the health is pretty good and 
the individual is deceived. As each little 
process matures and some of the broken 
down matter is thrown off there is a rein- 
fection and each subsequent attack is a 
little more severe than the preceding one. 
Finally the individual discovers that his 
health is undermined 
and that he is in a bad 
way. The average dura- 
tion of tuberculosis from 
the time of implantation 
to the fatal termination, 
when it terminates 
fatally, is about ten 
years. The severe symp- 
toms often last from six 
months to two years. 
The dying period is usu- 
ally about two months. 
Tuberculosis a Cur- 
able Disease. — Tubercu- 
losis is a curable disease. 
This has been proved 
beyond doubt. Up until 
recently the disease was 
looked upon as incurable 
and many people still 
liave this false impres- 
sion. This erroneous idea 
came about because in 
the past the disease was 
not recognized until it 
reached its terminal 
stage. At all times many 
cases got well spontaneously, and now that 
we fully understand the disease we find that 
we can cure practically all cases if we get 
them early enough. The tendency to recover 
is really very much greater than the ten- 
dency to a fatal termination, and all that 
is necessary is to place the individual who 
has received an implantation under proper 
conditions, give him rest and feed him 
properly and he will recover. Under 
modern methods even fairly advanced 
cases get well and occasionally very ad- 
240 




Gas Disinfector 



vanced cases. It is only after the individ- 
ual becomes extremely emaciated and 
the disease has invaded almost every organ 
of the body that the case becomes abso- 
lutely hopeless. 

Remedies for Tuberculosis. — There is 
no specific remedy for tuberculosis but 
there are a great many remedies which 
when skilfully used at the proper time help 
nature win the victory. The essential 
elements in the treatment of the disease 
are rest, food, air and proper exercise. 
Drugs are to be used only to help restore 
organs of the body to their physiological 
action when they are not doing their full 
duty. Drug-taking may really be an 
impediment to recovery. Food is the 
most important element of all. As the 
disease wastes the body so the treatment 
must not only restore what has been lost 
but lay up a supply of nutrition over and 
above what is needed. 

Food in the Treatment of Tuberculosis. 
— As the digestive organs and all those parts 
of the body which have to do with nutrition 
have been weakened by the disease it is 
important to select food which is easily 
digested and assimilated and to avoid food 
which produces indigestion or clogs up the 
system. The best food for the treatment 
of tuberculosis is milk and the next best 
eggs. A good plan is to take three quarts 
of milk and six raw eggs a day and one meal 
of solid food. The mistake is often made 
of trying to take a large amount of milk 
and eggs and three meals a day. This 
should not be done because the digestive 
system gets overburdened and the change 
of food into tissue is incomplete by reason 
of the fatigue of the organs. For the solid 
meal beef steak, roast beef, roast mutton or 
mutton chops, fresh vegetables and fresh 
fruit should be taken. This meal should 
be eaten carefully and at least an hour 
should be devoted to it. The solid meal 
may be taken in the middle of the day or 
in the evening. Pastry and starchy food 
which has been fried in grease should under 
no circumstances be used by a tuberculous 
subject. 

Fresh Air in the Treatment of Tubercu- 
losis. — The taking of food means very little 



TUBERCULOSIt 



13 



unless the patient remains in the open air 
or at least gets enough fresh air to properly 
oxidize the food. Air is as important for 
nutrition as food and should really be 
looked upon as part of the food. So far 
as possible air should never be rebreathed. 
Air which has once been breathed is 
deprived of some of its oxygen and what is 
still more objectionable is loaded with 
some of the poisons given off by the body. 
A tuberculous subject should sit in the 
open air all day while under treatment and 
should sleep in a room with the windows 
open on two sides unless he can do what is 
better still, sleep out of doors. Even well 
people should keep their bedroom windows 
open because what will cure will also help 
to keep well. There should be no shades or 
blinds on the windows and houses are bet- 
ter without shutters. Sun and air should 
be allowed free access to every sleeping 
room. There need be no fear of draughts. 
One can sit or sleep in a draught provided 
he is properly clad or covered. 

Rest and Exercise in the Treatment of 
Tuberculosis. — Rest and properly graded 
exercise are important factors in the treat- 
ment of tuberculosis. So long as a tuber- 
culous patient is below normal weight and 
is running some temperature he is much 
safer at rest, even complete rest in bed, 
than taking exercise. During the fever 
stage of his disease absolute rest in bed is 
really necessary. After he gets better and 
no longer runs a temperature, exercise if 
taken within proper limits is of value, and 
under proper direction can be made ser- 
viceable to recovery. When a patient gets 
up to full weight he should have graded 
exercise and should gradually harden 
himself to considerable endurance. Deep 
breathing exercise should never be taken 
while the disease is active and after it is 
considerably advanced. There is danger 
of tearing loose adhesions by such exercise 
and again setting up the disease. 

Slowness of Recovery from Tuberculo- 
sis. — With the very best treatment recov- 
ery from tuberculosis is a very slow process. 
Restoration of physical health comes much 
quicker than complete recovery from the 
disease. This often leads to mistakes 



because people who look well and feel well 
cannot convince themselves that they are 
not well, and sometimes being thus misled 
do things which lead to fatal relapses. 
The time which it takes for recovery 
depends upon the advancement of the 
disease, the amount of tissue involved and 
the amount of tissue destroyed. When a 
patient comes under treatment very early 
he may recover in six months and when he 
comes under treatment very, late if he 
recovers at all it may take him from six 
to ten years. No time can really be fixed 
for recovery and every case in this matter 
must be a law to itself. After a great deal 
of tissue ha"s been destroyed recovery 
never again becomes complete in the sense 
that the person is as well as he was before 
he took sick. Such persons, no matter 
how well they get, should always be con- 
tent with a half loaf. Even those who 
have not had the disease very far advanced 
will always have to live pretty much the 
same life which led to their recovery in 
order to stay well. 

Preventability of Tuberculosis. — The 
most consoling feature of the modern 
teachings about tuberculosis is that the 
disease is preventable and can be wiped 
out. What has life and depends upon 
reproduction can be exterminated. The 
chief difficulty in the way of exterminating 
tuberculosis is its universal prevalence. 
Prevention, however, is easy and when 
every one comes to know just what to do 
to prevent the disease, the extermination 
of it will be easily accomplished. 

The Consumptive Protects Himself by 
Protecting Others. — Every consumptive 
can avoid giving the disease to others. 
If he knows what to do and is willing to do 
it he can make himself absolutely non- 
contagious and can prevent any of his 
bacilli getting into another person. Now- 
adays with the crusade against tubercu- 
losis so active it is easy to find out just 
what to do, and even when one cannot get 
the things that are necessary for accom- 
plishing the prevention of the disease with 
his own means, he can usually get them for 
nothing from some institution which is 
devoting itself tO the crusade against 

241 



14 



TUBERCULOSIS 



tuberculosis. Sometimes people are 
ashamed to do what is necessary to prevent 
the spread of the disease for fear of criti- 
cism and because of the prejudice against 
consumptives. There is this to be said, 
however, that no consumptive can get well 
who does not do all that is necessary for 
the protection of others. The practices 
which will prevent the disease from being 
given to others will also prevent the indi- 
vidual from re-infecting himself, and unless 
precautions are taken against re-infec- 
tion recovery cannot take place. 




The Ulrich Sanatory Tent 



The Government in the Prevention of 
Tuberculosis. — The government is alive to 
the importance of stamping out tubercu- 
losis and is everywhere cooperating. 
Boards of Health are ready to disinfect 
houses without cost to the individual and 
distribute literature telling people what to 
do. Whenever a house has been occupied 
by a consumptive, even though he has been 
cleanly and has practiced measures for the 
prevention of the disease, it is worth while 
disinfecting it when it is vacated by 
removal or death. In fact it would not be 

242 



bad practice for consumptives to have the 
rooms which they occupy disinfected from 
time to time, both for their own protection 
against re-infection and for the protection 
of those who are near and dear to them. 
Humane Isolation of Advanced Con- 
sumptives. — So far as possible advanced 
consumptives should be humanely isolated 
in hospitals which are properly equipped 
for taking care of them. It is exceedingly 
difficult and very expensive to so guard 
and manage a consumptive in the home 
during the last few months of life as to 
prevent him from in- 
fecting those around 
him and contaminating 
the room in which he 
lives. In a hospital this 
can be done because 
there are nurses on guard 
all the time and linens 
can be changed as often 
as soiled. Humane iso- 
lation of the dying cases 
and of other cases dur- 
ing the acute process of 
the disease is really the 
most valuable means at 
our command for stamp- 
ing out the disease. It 
should be practiced 
everywhere and by 
everyone as far as 
possible. 

Groundless Fear of 
Consumption. — The ner- 
vous and timid nowa- 
days are so much afraid 
of getting consumption that they 
treat the poor consumptive inhumanely. 
There is no ground for such fear and 
timidity. All that is necessary to avoid 
getting consumption is to use common 
sense, to be cleanly oneself and to insist 
upon cleanliness in all those around and 
about one. We can safely be in contact 
with a consumptive provided he takes the 
proper precautions, and we ourselves should 
insist upon every consumptive with whom 
we come in contact doing those things 
which are necessary to protect us against 
contracting the disease. 



A SIMPLE 
SANATORY TENT 

- DR. H. ULRICH. MINNEAPOLIS. 



TUBERCULOSIS 



15 



Should Consumptives Marry? — Should 
consumptives marry? This is a question 
which is often asked and the enactment of 
a law prohibiting marriage has even been 
agitated. Consumption is not hereditary; 
on the contrary immunity may be inherited 
from a consumptive parent. There can 
therefore be no reason for prohibiting 
marriage for the protection of the offspring. 
Consumptives who still have the disease in 
an active form or who have been very 
seriously damaged by it should not marry 
for their own good. The burdens and 
responsibilities which come with married 
life are prejudicial to them and may influ- 
ence the disease towards a fatal termination. 
People who have recovered, however, and 
in whom the disease is entirely dormant 
can safely marry. 



Should the Consumptive Mother Suckle 
her Child? — Another matter which bears 
somewhat on this question is whether a 
consumptive mother should suckle her 
child. As a rule she may do so for some 
months at least. But if she is in the active 
stage of the disease she ought not to do so. 
It is much safer to remove the child from 
the parent than to have it in contact with 
her and this should always be done when it 
is possible to do so. Where the mother 
has to feed the infant it is safer to suckle 
it than to feed it artificially. During the 
time of suckling the mother should take 
a very large quantity of milk, even more 
than she takes ordinarily. After the child 
is strong enough to thrive on cow's milk 
it should be taken from the breast, but its 
food should not be prepared by the mother. 




243 




By special permission of Owen Zimmerman, Photographer 

THE MOTHER AND HER FIRST-BORN. 

What is so attractive as a young and beautiful mother with her babe ? 
"A mother is a mother still, the holiest thing alive." 



BOOK v.— PART II. 

THE FAMILY DOCTOR 

The reputation of Dr. Hartshorne, the author of this department, ranks 
high among those of our general physicians, and these pages from his pen will 
be endorsed by every good doctor as safe and practical to follow. This book 
tells how to detect disease and apply the best remedy for it. It gives practical 
directions for taking the principal medicines, how to nurse and care for the 
sick, what to do in case of accidents or poisoning, and gives valuable advice 
on the laws of health, the prevention of disease, food for the sick, and various 
kinds of medical treatment. This book will be of use frequently and there 
will come times when it may mean the saving of a life. It should be close at 
hand where it can be referred to at a moment's notice. 



The Family Doctor 

,AUSES, NATURE AND SIGNS OF DISEASE— CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES 
—THE BEST REMEDIES— RELIEVING PAIN— PRINCIPAL MEDICINES 
—NURSING AND CARE OF THE SICK 

—by- 
Henry Hartshorne, M.D. 



WHAT IS DISEASE 



It was a rather strange idea of a recent 
distinguished writer upon Hygiene, that per- 
haps, if we understood perfectly all the laws 
of health, and obeyed them all, life might 
be indefinitely prolonged. Nature around 
us pronounces otherwise. Every tree, 
though it live a thousand years, withers, 
root and branch, at last. All the animals, 
from the long-lived elephant and tortoise 
down to the ephemeral insect floating on the 
breeze, have set terms of life. On this 
globe of ours, whatever organism is born, 
dies. Man's body furnishes no exception; 
his spirit, only, is immortal. 

The marvel is, that so delicate a mechan- 
ism as the human body can survive for a 
single year, amongst the various perils that 
surround it. Yet we live on, some of us, 
accidents apart, for a good while. Most 
persons fail to reach advanced age, because 
of disease. What is disease ? 

It is something either being or acting 
wrong i7i the body. There may be as many 
(cinds of disorder, or disease, at least, as 
there are organs of the body. More than 
that there really are, however; because com- 
plications of diseases occur, and each organ, 
or the general system , may be out of sorts 
in a large number of diflferent ways. 



First, it will be well for us to consider 
what makes the body, or parts of it, get out 
of order. 

Causes of Disease. 

These may be stated together, thus : as 
causes which are 

Hereditary : examples (though not always 
inherited), consumption, gout, epilepsy, 
cancer. 

Functional : that is, depending upon the 
action, either too great or too little, of one 
or more of the organs, or of the body gener- 
ally. Examples : over-exertion, over-ex- 
citement, loss of sleep ; or, on the other 
hand, want of exercise. 

Mechanical : as wounds or injuries of 
various kinds, tight-lacing, etc. 

Conditional : as extremes of heat or cold , 
sudden changes of temperature, dampness 
of dwellings. 

Digestive : as poisoning, unwholesome 
food, intemperance, abuse of medicine ; and, 
on the other hand, starvation. 

Obstructive: as neglect of the bowels, 
uncleanliness of the skin, ill ventilation. 

Contagious : as small-pox, itch, hydro- 
phobia. 

Atmospheric : as autumnal fevers, yeUow 
fever, cholera. 



247 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Hereditary Disease. 

We often see consumption affecting sev- 
eral members of the same family through 
several generations. The same is true of 
insanity. Gout is many times transmitted 
from father to son, but seldom to a third 
generation. Epilepsy, also, does not often 
extend to grandchildren, nor does cancer. 
Each of these diseases may come without in- 
heritance. Then, we can sometimes, though 
not always, find at least a partial explanation 
of their origin otherwise. 

Not all (if there be several) children in 
a family are- likely to have the inheritable 
disease. Perhaps all may escape it ; now 
and then it comes again in //^^-/r children , 
having skipped a whole generation. 

Children are not born with transmitted 
diseases ; except syphilis, among those of 
real constitutional inheritance, and a few of 
the contagiojis affections. They are com- 
monly affected with them about the time of 
life when their parents were so. Thus 
scrofulous disorders of the eyes, ears, skin, 
glands, and bones, are apt to show them- 
selves in childhood ; co7isumption of the 
mngs, in youth or early maturity ; gout near 
middle age ; apoplexy, 2ind disease of the heart, 
from fifty to seventy years ; early deafness, or 
blindness, at various periods in different 
families. 

Sometimes the inherited taint is modified 
in transmission. Thus the children of a 
gouty person may have, not regular gout, 
but neuralgia ; and the offspring of one who 
is insane may have inflammation of the brain , 
or convulsions, etc. Children of intemper- 
ate parents are very likely to have some im- 
pairment of their nervous system , and often 
die in infancy. 

Besides these special transmissions of 
tendencies to disease, there is a gradually 
degenerating influence in families, and even 
whole populations, from unhealthy living. 
It is most observed in large cities. 

Functional Causation. 

Over-exertion may produce exhaustion, 
which, in a person before feeble, may end 
in death. Or, short of this, there may be 
brought on a state of weakness slow to be 
recovered from. In such a state, moreover. 



the body is less capable of resisting all 
causes of disease than when in full vigor. 

Excessive ejforts may, at the time, strain 
muscles, or even burst the heart, or the 
great main artery, the aorta. 

Over-excitement of the brain is, in many 
cases, when it lasts but for a short time, 
followed simply by exhaustion and gradual 
return, through repose, to ordin?,ry health. 
But long-continued excessive mental excite- 
ment may produce either infla^nmation of the 
brain, insanity, or prolonged brain-exhaus- 
tion . Loss of sleep, however induced, endan- 
gers such effects. Hardly any one can sur- 
vive deprivation of sleep for so long as two 
weeks at a time ; a single week would finish 
most peoples' lives. 

Mechanical Injuries. 

Broken limbs, displaced joints, and 
wounds, are often causes of disease. Tight- 
lacing is also a mechanical cause of inter- 
ruption to the right action of the lungs and 
heart, crowding these and other organs into 
too small a space. Position of the body acts 
mechanically, sometimes, in promoting cer- 
tain maladies. Whoever is predisposed to 
apoplexy, is especially liable to have an 
attack while stooping, or lying with the 
head low. 

Conditional Causes. 

By these we mean high heat, great cold, 
dampness, sudden changes and partial ex- 
posures of the body to either extreme, or 
electrical influences ; these last being very 
little understood. 

Sunstroke is a familiar accident in warm 
climates. Cold- stroke is less common, but 1 
have known it to be almost as sudden as the 
opposite. Continued heat predisposes to dis- 
orders of the liver, stomach and bowels. Cold, 
with dampness, promotes affections of the 
lungs and other organs within the chest. 

Catchi7tg cold : what is it ? For example; 
one comes in warm from exercise on a spring 
or autumn day, takes off his coat, and sits 
down near a window to ' ' cool off. ' ' His 
skin is relaxed and moist with perspiration, 
whose evaporation , under the window-breeze , 
goes on rapidly. Suppose the breeze to blow 
on his back, between his shoulders. That 
part is cooled more than the rest of his 



^8 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



body. Its blood-vessels and skin-pores con- 
tract under the cooling process, detaining 
the perspiration and driving the blood in- 
ward from the surface. Some of the waste 
matter which the skin would have thrown 
off by sweating, but for this chilling, is now 
kept in the blood. 

The result may be made more serious 
than a mere cold. If there be a weak or 
susceptible part within the chest (bronchial 
tubes, lungs, pleura, or heart) it suffers 
from overloading with blood and waste 
material ; and we have a bronchitis, a pneu- 
vionia, a pleurisy, or an ijifJammaiion of the 
heart. Among these, the first is the most 
frequent, and the last the least so ; but even 
it does sometimes happen, especially in a 
rheumatic person. 

Digestive Morbid Causes. 

Excess of food may cause indigestion at 
the time; and, if often repeated, habitual 
indigestion — called dyspepsia. A less amount 
of excess or superfluity may bring on an 
overfulness of rich blood in the system — 
plethora. Deficiency of food weakens, and so 
promotes attacks of many disorders ; varying 
according to constitution and exposure. 

Indigestible articles may produce com- 
mon indigestio7i, with windy pain in the 
stomach, nausea, etc. ; or cholera morbiis, 
which is much more severe ; occasionally 
dangerous. 

Obstructive Causes. 

Everything that interferes with the clear- 
ing out from the body of all waste and dead 
material, by the excretions, tends to injure 
health. Breathing foul air, makes the blood 
impure, and promotes diseases of various 
kinds. Uncleanliness of the skin acts in 
the same way to a less certain and serious 
degree. Neglect of the bowels leads to cos- 
tiveness, headache, and dyspepsia ; now and 
then it brings on hernia (rupture) which 
may endanger life, or an obstruction of the 
bowels within the abdomen, from which not 
many who suffer it recover. 

Contagion. 

This is, strictly defined, conveyance of 
disease by touch or contact. But some 
(not all) disorders, which may be trans- 



mitted by actual touch, pass also to a short 
distance through the air. This is true of 
typhus, sraall-pox, chicken-pox, measles, 
scarlet fever, mumps, and whooping-cough, 
certainly ; perhaps, in rare instances, of 
diphtheria. Hydrophobia, syphilis, and 
gonorrhoea are conveyed only by contact 
and inoculation ; that is, introduction of the 
virus of the disease into the blood, or, at 
least, under the skin. These diseases, are, 
in fact, the common diseases that are cer- 
tainly contagious. 

Infection : Atmospheric Causation. 

Certain places, at particular times, are 
infected with maladies which attack a greater 
or less number of those living or visiting 
there. Some of these diseases are said to be 
endemic ; that is, they are limited to quite 
clearly defined places. Thus, ague or ma- 
larial fever and autumnal bilious or remit- 
tent fever are found to prevail in some 
neighborhoods every fall and spring ; while 
other places, perhaps not more than a mile 
distant, are clear of them. Yellow fever is 
an endemic disease of the vicinity of the sea- 
coast of Cuba, while the higher regions of 
the same island are free from it. Cholera is 
endemic only in Hindustan, near the banks 
of the Ganges River. 

When these, or any other diseases, over- 
pass limited places, and appear in many 
localities, they, are said to be epidemic. 
Yellow fever is often epidemic. Cholera, 
once in several years, starts out from India, 
and travels mostly westward. 

Plague was once universally, and is now 
generally, believed to be extremely con- 
tagious. 

Erysipelas and puerperal fever cannot be 
positively said never to be extended from 
one person to another. Diphtheria, like- 
wise, is sometimes given by one person to an- 
other; Usually, however, diphtheria is 
either a local endemic or a slowly migrat- 
ing epidemic disorder. 

Influenza is always an epidemic ; nobody 
imagines it to be contagious from person to 
person. The same rule is also of dengue, 
the ' ' breakbone fever ' ' of the Southern 
States, and of a form oi dysentery prevalent 
during the summer and autumn in some 
localities. 



26 



249 



NATURE OF DISEASES 



Children sometimes die of old age. That 
is, their original endowment of life energy 
was so small as to be exhausted during in- 
fancy. Others die very soon because of 
sotLe defective development of a vital organ or 
organs. 

At any period of life the disorders to 
which we are all subject consist in one or 
both of the following changes : 

1. Disturbance of the actio7t of some 
oigan or organs by a morbid cause. 

2. Alteration of the striidiire or substance 
of one or more organs ; inducing, of course, 
change also in its action. 

To the first of these the term ' ' functional 
disorders ' ' is applied ; those of the second 
sort are " organic diseases." Temporary 
changes in the substance or structure of an 
organ often occur, as when it is iyifiamed, 
from which there may or may not follow 
permanent organic alterations. 

Only slight affections of even small parts 
of the body can take place and last for any 
time, without involving the general system 
more or less in disturbance. Also, a disorder 
beginning in the blood, and thus being a 
^e7ieral malady, nearly if not quite always 
puts some of the functions of the organs out 
of order. Still some cases do begin in, and 
chiefly affect, particular organs ; these we 
call local disorders ; others begin in the 
blood, and involve the body in many of its 
functions ; those are well described as gen- 
eral diseases. We will give attention here, 
first, to the nature of the disturbances com- 
ing under the former of these heads. 

Local Disorders. 

Medical books speak of irritation, con- 
gestion (^hypercemia) , inflammation, mortifi- 
cation, and degeneration, as affections of 
organs of the body, Atrophy, hypertrophy, 
and morbid growths are such also ; and less 
purely local, but often more or less restricted, 
are dropsical effusions. 

Irritation. 

An eye is irritated when a spark from a 
locomotive, or a bit of sand, or an inverted 
eyelash, get into it. A mustard-plaster first 
stimulates the circulation of the skin where 



250 



it is applied ; this may be quite within the 
bounds of healthy action, if the mustard be 
soon withdrawn. If it remain longer, irri- 
tation is shown by pain and soreness ; next, 
if still allowed to act, it will produce m/la?n 
mation. Irritation of Ihe stomach may be 
caused by indigestible food, or, more serious 
in degree, by certain poisonous substances ; 
as strong acids, alkalies, arsenic, or corro- 
sive sublimate. 

Congestion (or Hyperaemia). 

This ma}' be an active flowing of more 
blood than common through a part, or a 
passive collection of blood in the part. Stim- 
ulation produces the former ; when it passes 
beyond the line of health into irritation, 
passive congestion occurs at the centre of 
the irritation, active congestion in the parts 
around it. Determination of blood towards 
any portion of the body may be, when very 
decided, coWtd local hypera'inia. A bloodless 
condition of an organ is called a local 
a-ncemia. This first simply means excess of 
blood ; the second, deficiency of blood. 

Inflammation. 

All the world knows when a hand, a foot, 
or an eye is inflamed. Proverbially, the 
signs of this are 7'ed7iess, heat, pai7i, and 
swel!i7ig. The redness is owing to the ex- 
cess of blood; the heat to the same cause, 
with also probably some increase of chemical 
change in the part. Pain is not quite so 
clearly to be accounted for. Pressure on a 
nerve is known to cause pain ; and the excess 
of blood beating on a part at whose ce7itre is 
stag7iatio7i , must induce considerable pres- 
sure. Nerve-pain (neuralgia), however, 
often occurs without inflammation and with- 
out pressure. Some one has wisely said 
that pain is always a sign of a tendency in 
the part towards death. It is, at least, in- 
dicative oiloivcred vitality, local or general ; 
and that is present at the cc7it7-e of an inflamed 
organ, while around it there may be the 
heightened activity of stimulation. In a 
boil, and yet more fully in a carbiaicle, we 
see the dead centre (core) of the violent 
inflammation, when its force is nearly spent. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



The swelling of an inflamed part is due 
in considerable degree to the accumulation 
of blood in it. But, under the pressure of 
the heightened circulation, some of the 
lymph (watery portion) of the blood escapes 
from the blood-vessels into the substance 
of the part. This undergoes changes , which 
are important. 

An active or acute inflammation may end 
in several ways : 

1 . Resolution is the early passing oflf 
of all the inflammatory symptoms, leaving 
almost no sensible change in the part. 

2. Effusion of lymph, not at once ab- 
sorbed, shows itself in bands which glue 
together tissues naturally movable, or in a 
collection of fluid (serum), constituting a 
form of local dropsy. In an attack of 
pleurisy, both of these results may follow 
instead of resolution. 

3 . Suppuration is the formation of pus ; 
that is, yellow matter, which is very seldom 
absorbed, and whose best destiny is to be 
got out of the body by an opening, natural 
or artificial, at or near the external surface. 
Every ' ' gathering ' ' or abscess is an ex- 
ample of this. PycBtnia is a general disorder 
of the system, with a disposition towards 
the formation of collections of pus in differ- 
ent organs, with fever and much weakness, 
endangering life. 

4. Mortification, also csiW&dL gangrene , 
or sloughing, is the actual death of the part. 
Frozen feet mortify, not from inflammation, 
but from the directly killing effect of cold. 
Inflammation does not often end in mortifi- 
cation ; if it does so, it is either from the 
extreme intensity of the inflammatory pro- 
cess, or from a very low vital condition of 
the patient affected. 

Inflammation is modified considerably 
by specific causes of disease. A gouty toe 
is one example of this ; a wrist or elbow in- 
flamed with rheumatic fever is another. 
The sore throat of quinsy, that of scarlet 
fever, and that of diphtheria, are all hiflam- 
Tnations, yet each somewhat different from 
the others. The pustule of vaccination and 
that of genuine small-pox are not precisely 
alike ; and still different is that of chicken- 
pox ; and so on with other specific diseases. 

Chronic inflammation is not a desirable 
term, though it is used in all medical books. 



In it, redness, pain, or at least soreness, and 
more or less swelling, are present, in vary- 
ing degrees ; but there is no effusion of 
lymph, which really is the characteristic 
of a true inflammation. Irritability is a 
usual part of what is called chronic inflam- 
mation ; we might often with advantage 
speak of this in describing the disorder: 
thus, irritable eyes, irritable stomach, irrit- 
able bladder, irritable womb, irritable brain, 
etc. 

Hypertrophy or Overgrowth. 

Overgrowth is the meaning of this word ; 
increase in size without essential change in 
the nature of a part. An organ may enlarge 
very much, with a great change in its char- 
acter ; for example, a tumor of the breast, 
or a dropsy of the head. Again, an organ 
may be stretched or dilated without even an 
increase of its substance. 

The heart exemplifies two of these 
changes in different instances. If one of its 
valves through which the blood passes be- 
comes obstructed from disease, the heart has 
to labor more than usually to compel the 
blood to pass by the obstruction. Like 
other muscles (the heart being really a 
hollow muscle), this extra labor may have 
either of two results, according to the con- 
ditions present. If the person's constitu- 
tion be strong, and his blood well nourished, 
the much- worked heart will grow thicker 
and more powerful with the exercise. This 
is hypertrophy. But, if the contrary be the 
case, with a feeble system and poor blood, 
the heart is weakened by its excess of labor, 
and it stretches or becomes thin (attenuated) 
and dilated. 

The thickening of the skin of a working- 
man's hands shows an increased growth 
from habitual rough usage. A corn is a 
hypertrophy, and so is a wart ; both involv- 
ing almost entirely the outer skin or cuticle. 
Wens and pimples show a greater change of 
substance with enlargement. 

Atrophy and Degeneration. 

Atrophy is the opposite to hypertrophy. 
Want of blood or of the supply of nervous 
energy will cause an organ to shriuk away. 
So a palsied hand often, in time, withers to 
half its original size. Atrophy occurs 



251 



8 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



naturally, all over the body, with old age. 
First the fat is absorbed, then the muscles, 
and afterward other parts. 

Degeneration. — Instead of lessening in 
size, however, from loss of life-force, an 
organ may grow larger, with change of sub- 
stance. ^\iSs>'\% organic degeneration. The 
substance taking the place of the natural 
tissue of the part is always inferior in char- 
acter to that tissue. Thus /a/ may take the 
place of muscle, as in " fatty degeneration of 
the heart." Or bone-like material may 
form in place of the proper substance of the 
arteries ; making ' ' ossification ' ' of those 
vessels. Or the liver or kidney may be en- 
larged, the normal cells of either organ being 
replaced by a material like the areolar 
("cellular") tissue of the surface of the 
body under the skin. Tubercle, of the 
lungs or other parts, is essentially a kind of 
degeneration ; although it often follows at- 
tacks of inflammation. Acute and chronic 
inflammation of various organs is frequently 
followed by hardening or softening ; both 
of these being modes of degenerative alter- 
ation. 

Dropsy. 

Seldom does an accumulation of water 
occur in one part of the body without some 
previous general disorder of the system , or 
at least an affection of some of the great 
organs : the heart, liver, or kidneys. We 
do sometimes meet with " white swelling " 
of the knee ; but nearly always there are 
also signs of a " scrofulous ' ' constitution to 
predispose to it. 

Inflammation may, however, cause an 
effusion of serum, which remains after the 
acuteness of the attack has passed. The 
simplest illustration of this is seen in a 
blister. 

Suppose mustard to be applied to the 
skin. First, we see stimulation shown by 
redness and heat, with very little if any 
swelling, and no pain. Next, irritation, 
with soreness and pain, perhaps quite severe ; 
then inflammation, followed by efl'usion, 
which raises the skin into what we call a 
"blister." 

So, also, when the pleura, which lines 
the ribs and wraps the lungs, is inflamed, it 
throws out in a few days more or less lymph, 

2 



as an effusion. If this is copious in amount, 
it presses the lung away, and interferes with 
its expansion in breathing. This is some- 
times so serious a trouble as to induce phy- 
sicians to tap the chest and draw off the 
water to relieve the oppressed lung. Like- 
wise, inflammation of the covering of the 
heart (^pericarditis^ may result in a serious 
effusion within the pericardial sac, clogging 
the heart so as not infrequently to cause 
death. Hydrocephalus, or water on the 
brain, may originate in a similar way. 

Dropsy of the chest, however, dropsy of 
the head, dropsy of the abdomen {ascites), 
and general dropsy, are much more often 
brought on by obstruction of the circulation, 
with thinning of the blood, from disease of 
the liver, kidneys, or heart, or two or more 
of those organs at the same time. Ovarian 
dropsy attends a disease of one or both of 
the ovaries. 

CEdema is a watery swelling of a part of 
the surface of the body or limbs. 

Emphysema is a puffiness of the skin, 
or lungs, from accumulation of air in the 
cellular substance of the part affected. 

Mortification. 

When a part, as a coe, a whole foot, leg, 
or arm dies, while the rest of the body lives, 
it is said to mortify, slough, or suffer gan- 
grene. Once in a while the feet of an old 
person may undergo slow and dry gangrene. 
When an artery, as that of an arm, is 
plugged up by a clot, the arm is apt to 
mortify in consequence. Frozen feet or toes 
often die and slough off. Sometimes, es- 
pecially in ill-ventilated hospitals, stumps 
of amputated limbs, and wounds of various 
kinds, slough instead of healing (hospital 
gangrene). Quite rarely, sore mouth in 
children may become gangrenous ; and even 
a lung, or a portion of it, may become the 
seat of gangrene. In the last case, the 
patient is almost sure to die. 

Mortification of a part is always more or 
less dangerous to the life of the whole body 
in two ways. First, the sloughing process 
may extend gradually from the part affected 
towards the centre of the body ; and thus, 
involviyig vital parts, it may become fatal. 
Or dead matter from the gangrenous portion 
may be absorbed by the vessels y, and so poison 
52 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



the blood {septicoemia) in a manner seldom 
recovered from. 

When mortification is confined to a small 
part of the body, as a frozen toe or finger, 
the rest of the system being in a healthy 
state, a line of demarcation naturally forms, 
separating the dead from the living tissues. 
In some cases, a surgeon will then consider 
it best to hasten and complete the process ; 
rempving the sloughing part, by an oper- 
ation. In other instances, the dead parts 
will drop oflf, leaving a surface which will 
gradually heal. 

florbid Growths. 

Warts, corns, bunions, wens, moles, bony 
enlargevients , fibrous mid fatty tumors, are 
all unsightly, and the last named may be 
considerably inconvenient. But they do not 
of themselves tend to undergo such increase 
or morbid changes as to be dangerous to 
life. They may therefore, by comparison, 
be called innocent growths. 

Malignant tumors are generally in- 



cluded under the name cancer. They tenc 
to grow indefinitely, at the expense of the 
neighboring parts and of the general system. 
They often change their character, becoming 
open, discharging, offensive sores ; the seat, 
moreover, generally of severe pain. At last, 
the whole body of a cancerous patient be- 
comes unhealthy ; and the end, after vari 
ous periods, is death. 

Cancers may be either schirrus, colloid, 
or encephaloid. Schirrus is hard cajicer. Col- 
loid is jelly-like. Encephaloid is soft, al- 
most like brain substance. 

The parts of the body most liable to be 
attacked by cancer (especially after middle 
life) are the womb, the female breast, the 
stomach, and the lower bowel {rectum) ; but 
various other organs are sometimes invaded 
by it. Schirrus is most apt to be met in the 
breast, stomach or bowel ; colloid, in the 
stomach, bowel, or covering of the bowels 
{mese7itery, peritoneum). Ericephaloid may 
occur in any organ ; it is the only kind evei 
seen in the eye, liver, kidney, lung, etc. 



GENERAL DISORDERS 



We may name these as debility, anosmia, 
plethora, cochexio, neuratoxia, toxozmia, and 
fever. 

Debility. 

One is apt to feel weak, when anything 
whatever is the matter. This may arise 
from loss of blood, from excessive fatigue, 
from continued illness, or from a severe 
shock to the system from any cause. Either 
of these may cause depression or prostration, 
of which the extremest degree is called 
collapse. 

In the beginning of all such affections, 
the weakness is that of oppression. The 
organs of the body are clogged, so to speak ; 
skin, kidneys, bowels, etc., are, for the time, 
hindered in their action, and the loaded 
blood fails to stimulate aright the various 
functions, 

It is important, in treating debility, to 
distinguish of what kind it is. Exhaustion, 
as after long illness, is ^9 be recovered from, 
with time, under nourishing food, rest, pure 
air, etc. Depression, or prostration, as from 
a severe shock, by warmth, rest, and stimu- 
lation, according to the nature and degree of 



the case. Oppression of the organs, at the 
onset of a disease, is best relieved by unload- 
ing the system with purgative medicines, 
and those which promote the action of the 
skin and kidneys ; sometimes, in an early 
stage, by the withdrawal of blood from the 
arm, or by leeches or cups from a central 
part. 

Ansemia and Plethora. 

Poverty of blood may result from various 
diseases, or from loss of blood, too long 
nursing, etc. Weakness accompanies it, of 
the kind above called exhaustion. An 
anaemic person is usually pale (though per- 
haps easily flushed by excitement), rather 
thin, and "nervous." There is a form of 
this disorder called progressive pernicious 
anaemia, which cannot be accounted for by 
ordinary causes, and which it is almost or 
quite impossible to cure by any treatment. 

Plethora is the opposite of anaemia. In 
it, the red corpuscles of the blood are too 
numerous, and the blood itself is redundant 
in amount. A plethoric person is round and 
plump (not necessarily/^/), with full blood- 
vessels and a high color. Such an one is 



253 



lO 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



more liable than others, in early life, to acute 
inflammations and active hemorrhages ; after 
middle age to apoplexy. 

Cachexia or Diathesis. 

By this is meant some abnormal con- 
dition of the constitution. 

LetikcBmia (or leucocythgemia) is a dis- 
ease in which there is an excess of white or 
colorless corpuscles in the blood. 

Another cachexia is scurvy (scorbutus) ; 
brought on by deficiency of fresh food ; es- 
pecially of vegetable food. 

Another is goitre or bronchocele, whose 
main feature is a swelling in the neck, in- 
volving the thyroid gland. 

Chlorosis, or "green sickness," is a ca- 
chexia sometimes met with in girls or young 
women ; the name is given because of a pe- 
culiar sallowness of complexion belonging 
to it. 

Rickets occur tolerably often among the 
ill-fed poor in the cities of Europe ; much 
more seldom in this country. Those having 
it are feeble from childhood, with defective 
development especially of the bones ; which 
are easily broken and subject to decay. 

Tuberculosis is the constitutional affection 
of which consumption of the lungs is the 
most familiar manifestation ; but it often 
also affects the bowels, brain and other or- 
gans. Tubercles are the small, irregular, 
roundish deposits found after death in the 
place of healthy tissues ; which, however, 
frequently soften, leaving cavities. Tuber- 
ailar me^iingitis is the name given to an 
almost always fatal form of inflammation of 
the membranes of the brain, in children. 

Scrofula is an old designation for a con- 
stitutional tendency showing itself early in 
life, by swelling of the glands of the neck 
and elsewhere, sore eyes, sore nose, running 
at the ears, and sometimes inflammation and 
decay of the bones of the limbs, or " white 
swelling " of the knee. 

Toxaemia : Blood-Poisoning. 

Blood-poisoning can never be a trifling 
thing. We should be in deadly danger of it 
every day, but that so much is arranged in 
our bodies not only to prevent it, but to re- 



lieve it promptly when it begins to take 
place. Indeed, each particle of used-up 
matter, which has served its purpose in any 
organ, becomes poisonous the moment it 
gets into the blood. But then, at once, the 
lungs, skin, kidneys, and bowels, with help 
also from the liver, take from the blood these 
dead particles, and carry them out, in the 
exhaled breath, perspiration, urine, and ex- 
crement. 

There are several forms of blood-poison- 
ing, due to suppression of the action of the 
kidneys, nonsecretion of bile by the liver, 
or to retention of putrefiable matter not car- 
ried off by the bowels. 

Next to these may be named septiccemia, 
produced by the absorption of foul material 
from a surface of the body, or near it ; as 
from a gangrenous wound or an unhealthy 
abscess. Outside poisons reach the blood 
through the mouth and stomach, by the 
lungs, or by the skin, as by bad drinking' 
water, and the microbes of malaria, small- 
pox, scarlet fever, yellow fever, cholera, etc. 

Fever. 

When one has a hot, dry skin, a glowing 
red cheek, thirst, a rapid pulse, and weak- 
ness of body, with more or less dulness or 
disturbance of the mental faculties, we say 
he has fever. Constipation of the bowels, 
and scanty secretion from the kidneys, also 
commonly belong to the same condition. 
But of all this group of symptoms, the most 
constant is heat. In health, a thermometer 
in the armpit will mark 98.5° Fahr. Fever 
often runs it up to 103°, 104°, 105°, or even 
higher still. 

Fever is met with in connection with 
many diseases. Inflammation of any of the 
great organs, brain, lungs, heart, pleura, 
bronchial tubes, stomach, bowels, etc., will, 
when active, be attended by it. And, with- 
out any inflammation, we meet with it in 
typhus ; also with inflammatory affections 
secondary to the general disease, in scarlet 
fever, small-pox, measles, diphtheria ; and 
with or without local inflammations, in yel- 
low fever, in relapsing, intermittent, and re- 
mittent fevers ; perhaps also sometimes 
without any true acute inflammation, in ty- 
phoid fever. • 



254 



II 



CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES 



Various plans of arrangement have been 
proposed, and are in use, I prefer to name 
all diseases as either iNFLAivfTATiONS and 
Toxemic disorders, Cacheci_c affections. 
Nervous disorders, or Unclassifiable 
diseases . 

Under the first head we place inflamma- 
tory attacks affecting Brain (meningitis*), 
lyUNGS (pneumonia). Pleura (pleurisy), 
Air-Passagej?. (laryngitis, tracheitis, bron- 
chitis). Heart (endocarditis, pericarditis), 
Tonsils (quinsy), Throat (pharyngitis), 
Stomach (gastritis), Bowels (enteritis, 
colitis, dysentery), Peritoneum (periton- 
itis), Liver (hepatitis), Kidney (nephritis). 
Bladder (cystitis), etc. 

As Toxemic disorders may be men- 
tioned: 1. Those caused only by contact 
or inoculation: Primary Syphilis, Gon- 
ORRHCEA, Hydrophobia, Vaccinia. f 2. 
EruptiveX diseases, which are contagious : 
Small-Pox, Chicken-Pox, Scarlet Fe- 
ver, Measles. 3. Allied affections to the 
above, hxXnot ei^uptive , although contagious: 
Mumps and Whopping-Cough. 4. Diseases 
generally epidemic or endemic: Typhoid 
Fever, Typhus, Spotted (cerebro-spinal) 
Fever, Erysipelas, Puerperal Fever, 
Influenza, Diphtheria, Plague, and 
Cholera. 5. Endemic and occasionally 
epidemic ; Yellow Fever, Relapsing 
Fever, and Dengue. 6. Endemic and 
^ ^ malarious' ' : INTERMITTENT, Remittent, 
and Pernicious (congestive) Fever. 

Of Cachectic affections, a part of the 
long list will answer our purpose here, i . 
Those which are always chronic (prolonged 
indefinitely, tedious, not tending to re- 
cover of themselves) : Anemia, Chlorosis, 
LeuK/Emia, General Dropsy, Tubercul- 
osis, Diabetes, Constitutional Syphilis. 
2. Acute or subacute (active, and of limited 
duration): Scurvy, Gout, Inflammatory 
Rheumatism, Pyemia, Septic Fever, 
(septicaemia), etc. 3. Local cachexise (de- 
generations): as Cancer, Goitre, Brights' 
Disease (of the kidneys). Fatty Heart, 
Gin Liver, etc. 4. Skin-Diseases. 

*Nearly always this term applies; meaning inflamma- 
tion of the membranes ofthe b-ain as well as of its substance. 

t Glanders, sometimes taken from the horse, is another 
of this g^oup. 

t Physicians often call these exanthemnta- 



Nervous Disorders may also be only 
in part named here : Apoplexy, Paralysis 
(palsy). Epilepsy, Catalepsy, Hysteria, 
Chorea (St. Vitus 's dance). Tetanus 
(lock-jaw). Asthma, Angina Pectoris, 
Locomotor Ataxy (one form of spine- 
disease). Convulsions, Neuralgia, De- 
lirium Tremens, (mania-a-potu) Insanity. 

Of Unclassifiable diseases, not easily 
fitting in either of the above groups, there 
are Dyspepsia, Cholera Morbus, Diar- 
rhcea. Colic, Jaundice, Hemorrhages, 
Local Dropsies, Worms, etc. 

Signs and Symptoms of Diseases. 

On approaching a sick person, our first 
question , whether put into words or not, is 
naturally. Is there much the m,atter f 

Other inquiries follow, such as these : 
Has he fever ? Is he very weak f Is his 
head clear ? Does he suffer pain anywhere ? 
What organ or function of his body is not as 
it ought to be ? 

So we proceed from one thing to another 
in forming what doctors call a diagnosis of 
a case. Experience makes such an exami- 
nation more and more easy, rapid and effi- 
cient. A besetting temptation, even with 
physicians, is, when enough has been found 
out to give a probable name for the malady 
of the patient, to conclude at once that this 
is the whole matter, and that we know all 
about his case. This cannot be true, how- 
ever, unless we have carefully scrutinized 
a// his organs, or at least have satisfied our- 
selves on good evidence as to the presence 
or absence of disorder in them all. 

Our plan here makes suitable only a 
short account of the principal symptoms 
found in connection with different parts of 
the body, and their meaning ; or, at least, 
the conditions with which they are most 
likely to be associated. 

Symptoms Affecting the Skin. 

The skin is hot and dry in fever. 

Moisture is nearly always a favorable 
sign. Exceptions are, the cold and clammy 
perspiration of great prostration, and the 
copious sweating of advanced consumption. 



255 



12 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Emaciation (wasting) is seen generally 
in those long sick. Sometimes it occurs 
rapidly, as in severe diarrhoea, or in the 
summer complaint of children. 

The color of the skin may be changed 
considerably in disease. The fav_e is — 

Pale, during fainting, with sick stomach, 
and in anaemic persons. 

Flushed, in fever, early stage of apo- 
plexy, or intoxication. 

Cheeks brightly flushed, in hectic 
fever of consumptives. 

Purple or livid, in typhoid or typhus 
fever. 

Yellow, in jaundice, bilious fever, and 
yellow fever. 

Sallow, in chlorosis, dyspepsia, and 
cancer. 

Blue, in the collapse of cholera, and 
cyanosis. 

Black, almost, in suffocation from any 
cause. 

Eruptions upon the skin belong to cer- 
tain other diseases. 

Symptoms Presented by the Mouth, etc. 

The TONGUE is pale, in anaemic persons ; 
red in scarlet fever, inflamed mouth, and 
sometimes when the stomach is inflamed 
{gastrins) ; furred, in indigestion, and very 
often in fever; brown, or black, cracked 
and fissured, in low fevers, as typhoid or 
typhus. It is pushed out with difficulty in 
low fevers, and after an apoplectic attack ; 
going to one side, in paralysis affecting one 
side only. 

The teeth are covered with thick brown 
stuff called " sordes " in low febrile states. 
They are loosened, sometimes, by severe 
salivation, from large doses of mercury — 
(not now given by regular physicians). 

The GUMS are swollen, soft, and spongy, 
and disposed to bleed easily in scurvy. A 
blue line along the gums is observed in lead- 
poisoning ; a red line, occasionally, in ad- 
vancing consumption. Swelling and sore- 
ness of the gums, with tenderness of the 
teeth and a " coppery " taste in the mouth, 
are signs of mercurial salivation. 

Increase of saliva gives the name to this 
affection, once not uncommon in medical 
practice. Iodide of potassium, taken medi- 
cinally, will sometimes salivate. Large 



doses of jaborandi, or its active principle, 
pilocarpin, generally does so. 

The TASTE is morbid bitter in disorder 
of the liver ; sour, often, in dyspepsia , salt- 
ish, with .spitting of blood ; putrid in gan- 
grene of the lungs. 

The Throat. 

Difficulty of swallowing may result 
from inflanimation of the tonsils or gullet 
{pharynx) ; spasmodic closure of the throat ; 
permanent narrowing or stricture of the 
pharynx or lower gullet {oesophagus) ; ob- 
struction., as from a bone, etc. ; paralysis, as 
after diphtheria, or extreme weakness, in the 
dying state. 

Thirst is excessive in two opposite con- 
ditions : high fever and low collapse. 

The Stomach. 

Appetite is almost always deficient in 
both acute and chronic disease ; most so, 
however, in the former, as a rule. Per- 
verted appetite occurs in case of chlorosis, 
and in some hysterical %^^!o']^Q^s,. 

Nausea (sick stomach), with or without 
vomiting, is met with in indigestion, colic, 
seasickness, pregnancy (morning sickness) , 
gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), 
hysteria (occasionally), cholera-morbus , epi- 
demic cholera, bilious remittent fever, yellow 
fever, ulcer of stomach, cancer of stomach, 
strangidated hernia (rupture), obstruction of 
the bowels, irrita?it poisoning. 

Symptoms Belonging to the Circulation. 

Palpitation, or disturbed action of the 
heart, may depend upon inflam^nation of its 
membranes {pericarditis, endocarditis), en- 
largeme?it {hypertrophy or dilatation), valvu- 
lar disease, anaemia, with weakness, nervous 
irritability (nervousness), as from strong 
coffee, tobacco, etc., dyspepsia, brain dis- 
order. 

A FEVER pulse is moderately rapid, and 
in the early stages of an attack, strong ; 
later, soft and compressible. When violent 
acute inflammation of any organ is present, 
it is quickened, hard, and rather full, as a 
rule. 

A nervously-disturbed pulse is quick 
(jerking rather than rapid), and variable, 
under excitement or repose, 
S6 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



13 



In extreme; weakness, most of all in 
the dying state, the pulse is nearly always 
rapid and small, or "thready." A pulse 
of 150 or 160 in a minute, is almost always 
a sign of death. Very rarely is the pulse 
slow in the dying state. 

Slowness of the pulse is most marked in 
compression of the brain (as in apoplexy, 
fracture of the skull, or hydrocephalus, i.e., 
water on the brain), and in opium poiso7iing . 
Occasionally the pulse is very slow in cases 
of heart disorder. 

Irregularity of the pulse is natural to 
a small number of persons, at least in child- 
hood or in old age, without other signs of 




FEELING THE PULSK 



disease. It may be, otherwise, a transient 
symptom, particularly during convalescence 
from a fever. It is distinctly related to dis- 
ease present, in certain cases oi heart disease 
(when it is serious) and in the third stage of 
acute meniiigitis (inflammation of the brain). 
Excessive smoking of tobacco sometimes pro- 
duces irregularity of the pulse. 

A double pulse is met with iii many in- 
stances of continued fever , typhus or typhoid. 

Slowness of the capillary circulation is 
occasionally shown, in morbid states, by the 
tardy return of the blood when displaced by 
pressure, as on the back of the hand or the 
cheek. In the veins, likewise, this is notably 
seen in the collapse of cholera. 

Hemorrhage. 

While bleeding from any part of the 
body is often an important symptom, it 
needs to be interpreted with care. Its con- 



257 



sequence depends greatly on its quantity and 
the source from which the blood comes. 

Thus, in bleeding at the nose, the flow of 
blood may possibly result from either of the 
following causes : a severe blow ; cojigestion 
(fullness of blood) simply in the membranes 
of the nose ; congestion of the brain (to which 
the bleeding may give advantageous relief) ; 
early stage of typhoid fever ; suppressed men-, 
struation (monthly discharge) of which it is 
an alternative . 

Spitting of blood may come from hem- 
orrhage of the gums, the back of the nostrils, 
throat, windpipe (bronchial tubes), lungs, or 
stomach. 

If from the stomach, it is preceded by 
nausea, and is vo7nited. When from the 
lungs or bronchial tubes, it is coughed up 
instead. 

Hemorrhage from the lungs {licemop- 
tysis) may depend upon congestion (over- 
fulness of blood) of the lungs ; heart disease, 
tubercular cons2imptio7i, suppressed menstrua- 
tio?i, of which it may, occasionally, be an 
alternative or substitute ; an injury, as a 
broken rib, wound of the lung, etc. ; rupture 
of an aneurism of the aorta. 

Vomiting op Blood may be one of the 
symptoms occurring in hysterical women ; or 
it may result from ulcer, or cancer of the 
stomach ; or it may be (as above) substitutive 
or vicarious of absent menstruation. 

Uterine hemorrhage (other than the 
natural monthly flow) may come from con- 
gestion of the womb, or its tilceration, or 
cancer. During pregnancy it threatens mis- 
carriage, or results from misplacement of the 
placenta (after-birth). 

Hemorrhage from the bowels may be con- 
nected ^i'Ca. piles (hemorrhoids), dyse^itery, 
ulceration of the bowels, cancer, ruptiLre of 
an abdoi7tinal a7ieurism, typhoid, 77ialarial, 
or yellow fever , or vicairous menstrziatio7i. 

HiEMATURiA (bloody urine) may follow 
a mechanical injury, i7ifla77i77iatio7i of the 
kidneys, sto7ie in the bladder, or a bad state 
of things in cases oi scar let fever . 

Symptoms Connected with the Breathing 
Organs. 

Sixteen to eighteen times in a minute is 
the ordinary rate of breathing while at rest, 
in health, for a grown person. \Vi fever it is 



14 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



almost always a good deal faster than this ; 
often thirty, forty, or more respirations in a 
minute. When a person is poisoned with 
opitun, the breathing becomes s7ioring, and 
very slow, even only six times or less in a 
minute in heavy narcotism. Apoplexy, and 
pressure upon the brain from a piece of a 
broken skull, are also attended by slow, 
snoring respiration. 

Difficulty of Breathing may be caus- 
ed by irrespirable gases (as chlorine, etc.) in 
the air ; obstruction in the air- tubes, as from 
croup, asthma, or bronchitis ; disease of the 
lungs or pleura, as in pneumonia, consump- 
tion, or pleurisy ; disease of the heart or 
aorta ; abdominal drops5^ pressing upwards. 

Coughing, also, may have a variety of 
causes, of the nature of which we may often 
judge by its character. Thus it is, com- 
monly, dry and tight, in early bronchitis ; 
soft, deep, and loose, in advanced bronchitis ; 
hacking, in the beginning of consumption ; 
deep and distressing, in advanced consump- 
tion ; short and sharp, in pneumonia ; hoarse 
and barking, in an early stage of croup ; 
whistling, in advanced membranous croup ; 
paroxysmal (in spells) and whooping, in 
whooping-cough ; dry and hollow, when 
sympathetic or nervous. 

Expectoration is white, thin, and mu- 
cous, in catarrh and early bronchitis ; yellow 
and thick {p7irulent) in severe and protracted 
bronchitis ; rusty, in the middle stage of 
pneumonia ; bloody, thick, and yellow, in de- 
veloping consumption (phthisis) ; in heavy, 
round, 'small yellowish, lumps, in advaticed 
consumption ; putrid (rotten) , in gangrene 
of the lung. 

The Breath is hot, during fever ; cold, in 
the collapse of cholera. The odor of the 
breath is seldom perfectly agreeable except 
in a healthy child. Bad teeth and imperfect 
digestion are common causes of unpleasant- 
ness in it. It is very heavy at the com- 
mencement of 2i fever ; sour, during an attack 
of indigestio7i ; rotten, in gangrene of the 
lung. 

Hiccough is produced by a spasm of the 
diaphragm, at the floor of the chest. It may 
depend upon indigestioyi, 7iervous disorder, 
or great exhaustio7i. In the last of these, it 
is generally a decidedly bad symptom. 

Snoring (stertorus), respiration results 



from oppression oj the brain ; the cause of 
which may be either apoplexy , fracture of the 
skull, dead drunkemiess, or 7iarcotis7?t by 
opiu77i. (Of course we do not forget that 
some persons snore tremendously during 
their natural and healthy sleep.) 

Symptoms Affecting the fluscles. 

Position is often significant in disease. 
Inability to rise may be owing to ge7ieral 
weak7iess, palsy, i7ifla77imatio)i of the joints, 
etc.) as from rheiwiatism or gout), or an in- 
jury, such as a broken thigh or leg. 

Inability to lie down is generally the 
result of difficulty of breathi7ig (dyspncEa), 
which doctors then call orthopnoea, or 
straight-tip breathing. 

In Colic, the patient usually prefers to lie 
upon the breast. 

In Peritonitis, the chosen position is 
on the back, with the knees drawn up. 

In the early stage of Pleurisy, the patient 
lies of choice on the side not affected ; after 
water collects (effusion) this is reversed. 
When the liver is c7ilarged from disease, the 
right side is mostly preferred. When the 
heart is much disturbed in its action, the 
sufferer generally cannot lie on the left side. 
Exceptions occur in heart disease, especially 
of long duration. 

In Aneurism of the Aorta, a favorite 
position is sitting up and leaning over the 
back of a chair, or the edge of a bed. 

Muscular weakness may result from 
acute disease, as fever, or from exhaustion. 
Entire want of exercise weakens the muscles. 
When an arm or a leg has been long fastened 
up in splints on account of a fracture, its 
muscles are almost powerless upon first be- 
ing taken out of their confinement. 

Spasm may be of either of three kinds ; 
fixed, or to7iics^asxn., as in lock-jaw (tetanus) ; 
7-egularly jerking, or clo7iic, as in fits or con- 
vulsio7is; an irregularly jerking, as in St. 
Vitus' dance or chorea. Cra7np is a short- 
timed to7iic spasm. 

Tremor (trembling) is of two kinds ; 
co7ista7it trembling, as in shaki7ig palsy {par- 
alysis agitans), and tremor only when doing 
something, as in one form of disease of the 
brain and spinal marrow: 

Rigidity of muscles is different from 
mere spasmodic contraction. It occurs in 



258 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



15 



certain severe and continued cases of palsy 
(paralysis) . 

Jerking of the tendons, especially at the 
wrists, is met with in low states of continued 
fever, typhoid or typhus. 

Symptoms Connected with our Senses. 

Pain is variously interpreted, according 
to its place and character. It may be 

Acute, sharp, cutting, as in pleurisy ; 
shooting, darting, as in neuralgia ; piercing 
(lancinating), in cancer; gnawing, tearing, 
in rheumatism ; dull, heavy, aching, as in 
pneumonia ; griping, twisting, in dysentery ; 
bearing down , in second stage of labor ; pul- 
sating, in the formation of an abscess ; burn- 
ing, smarting, in erysipelas ; stinging, nett- 
ling, in urticaria (nettle-rash) ; constant, or 
intermittent ; fixed or wandering. 

Tenderness on pressure is generally a 
sign of inflammation, although some neu- 
ralgic cases have it ; possibly from inflam- 
mation of the sheaths of the nerves. Tired 
muscles also are often sore to the touch as 
well as on motion. 

Sometimes pain is relieved by pressure ; 
this is often the case with colic. In such in- 
stances we conclude that there is no inflam- 
mation. 

Pain is not always at the place of disease. 
In disease of the hipfoint, the principal pain 
is at the knee ;,in dyspepsia, often, over the 
middle of the breast ; when the liver is dis- 
ordered-, under the right shoulder-blade ; in 
irritation of the womb at the top of the head. 

lyOSS OF sensation (ancesthesia) , occur- 
ring from disease, constitutes one kind of 
paralysis. The other form is loss of power 
to move the limbs or parts affected. When 
paralysis involves one side of the body only, 
as the right arm and leg, or the left arm and 
leg, we call it hemiplegia. Paraplegia is palsy 
of both legs at the same time. 

The Eye in Disease. 

Blood-shot eyes show either inflamma- 
tion of them or fulness of blood in the head, 
which is often present in fevers. If one eye 
only is very red, of course the trouble must 
be in itself. Yellowness of the "whites " of 
the eyes occurs in bilious disorder. 

The eyelids are notably prominent in 
that curious and rather uncommon disorder 



called " exophthalmic goitre." Prominence 
or bulging of one eye only shows a prob- 
ability of disease, as a tumor, behind that 
eye. 

Sinking of the eyeballs in their sockets 
is seen to some extent in consumption and 
other wasting diseases. Sinking of one eye 
must result from wasting of its own sub- 
stance or of the socket behind it, the former^ 
being often observed in the blind. 

Rolling of the eyes from side to side is 
common in great nervous restlessness of in- 
fants or young children. 

Squinting, which is natural with some, 
and an acquired habit with others, becomes 
a serious symptom when it occurs as the re- 
sult of disease of the brain . 

The lustre of the eyes grows dull often a 
short time, perhaps a few hours, before 
death. Bright eyes are commonly noticed 
in advancing consumption. They may 
glare in ma7iia (insanity), or, for a time, in 
acute inflammation of the brain. 

Very small pupils of the eyes are seen 
when either they are, or the brain is, the seat 
of inflammation. In opium- poisoning the 
pupils are contracted, at least until very 
near death. They are large (dilated), com- 
monly, in apoplexy, water on the brain (hy- 
drocephalus), and poisoning by prussic acid 
or by Jamestown weed {stram,oniuin) or 
belladonna . 

Great shrinking from light {photophobia^ 
exists in severe inflammation of the eyes, 
and also in acute inflammation of the brain . 

Spots, rings, etc., floating before the 
sight {musccz volitantes) show the presence 
of opaque particles in the interior of the 
eyeball (vitreous humor'), which are not of 
much importance. Fixed dark spots are of 
more consequence ; they often show a be- 
ginning of blindness. 

The Ears. 

Pain in one of the ears, earache, may be 
either i7iflammatorv or ne7iralgic. Other 
signs must be considered along with it to 
show which it is. 

Ringing in the ears occurs from either 
of at least two or three causes, to distinguish 
between which is not always easy. L<arge 
doses of quinine, and of one or two other 
powerful medicines, will make many people's 



259 



i6 



THE FA MIL Y DOCTOR 



ear ring or roar. Disease of the ear will 
often produce this symptom, even when the 
disease is not severe at the time. In other 
instances, brain exhaustio7i, or coiigestion 
(overfulness of blood) of the brain, may- 
give rise to it. If it be heard only in one 
ear, we may be confident that the cause is in 
that ear itself. 

Deafness, or hardness of hearing, in 
various degrees, may proceed from cold in 
the head, very large doses of quinine, typhus 
or typhoid fever, wax accumulated in the 
ears, disease or injury of the ears, brain 
disease. 

Headache. 

Pain in the head may depend in different 
cases upon neuralgia, rheumatism, overful- 
ness of blood {coyigestion hypercsmia); blood- 
poisoning (as by alcohol, opium, etc.); fever 
(remittent, typhoid, etc.) ; disease of the 
brain, sympathetic irritation (as with uterine 
disorder, etc.). 

Skill as well as care may often be neces- 
sary to make out, in an actual case, to 
which of these a headache belongs. Neu- 
ralgic headache is nearly always on one side 
only or chiefly, and extends to the fece also ; 
it is shooting or darting, and there is with it 
some tender7iess on pressure. Rheuviatisvi of 
the scalp is usually accompanied by stiffness 
of the muscles that move the head and neck. 
Headache from fulness of blood or fever is 
attended by heat of the head ; the pain is 
then apt to be throbbing in character. Pain 
from disease of the braiyi is generally in one 
spot, either fixed or in spells (periodic or 
paroxysmal) ; and some other sign of brain 
disease is also present with it. 

Expression of the Face. 

Acute disease is apt to alter this more 
than that which is chronic ; but it is often 
changed in both. An anxious or distressed 
expression giving way to serenity is always 
a good sign, unless it be the result of viorti- 
ficaiion or palsy coming on. 

Great anxiety is seen especially in 
organic diseases of the heart, and in acute 
disorders of the abdome7i, as well as in 
melancholy. 

Terror belongs habitually to delirium 
tremens, also called mania-a-potu , or the 
horrors. 



Rage is now and then seen in insanitj^ 
and in some, not all, cases of hydrophobia. 

Insane persons, although not always 
very peculiar in countenance, have mostly 
an expression by which their derangement 
can be recognized by those accustomed to 
observing it. 

Collapse, that is, extreme prostration, 
as from the shock of a railroad accident, an 
attack of cholera, or the dying state from 
any cause, has its own characteristic ex- 
pression, more easily understood when seen 
than described. Shrunken cheeks, pale or 
livid, with mouth drawn down at the cor- 
ners, and white, glassy eyes ; these with 
clammy coldness to the touch, gasping res- 
piration, and a thready or absent pulse at 
the wrist, mark this condition. 

Delirium. 

This is a disorder or confusion of mind, 
in acute disease, not fixed for a long time 
like insanity, but depending upon a tempor- 
ary cause. It is present in many attacks of 
maladies attended by fever ; as severe remit- 
tent, typhus, typhoid, scarlet, or yellow 
fever, etc. A few persons are liable to tran- 
sient delirium during almost any brief at- 
tack of illness. Mania-a-potu, as already 
said, has a characteristic delirium, in which, 
almost always, there is extreme terror, from 
imaginary enemies or dangers of some kind. 
Grown people are affected by delirium 
usually under circumstances which, in a 
child, would bring on convulsions. 

Stupor. 

Coma is the medical word for this. It is 
an unnaturally deep sleep, from which one 
cannot be roused. We meet with it chiefly 
in the following : Alcoholic drunkenness 
('dead drunk"); opium-poisoning (nar- 
cotism) ; apoplexy ; very low typhus fever ; 
compression of the brain from fractured 
skull. 

It is not always easy to say, in a particu- 
lar case, which of these is present. 

Intoxication is generally shown by the 
odor of the breath, and the general appear- 
ance of the patient, and his behavior before 
he became unconscious. In opium poisoyiing , 
the pupils of the eyes are, as a rule, strongly 
contracted, even when no considerable 
60 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



17 



light is shining on them. Typhus fever 
is known by the history of the case ; as, 
in it, complete stupor is never the con- 
dition at the very beginning of the iUness. 
A broken skull, if not obviously accounted 
for by a known injury, may be found out by 
careful examination of the head. 

Dizziness (giddiness, vertigo) is ac- 
counted for in different instances by either 
of four causes : mere weakness ; disorder of 
the liver (biliousness,) and stomach ; disease 
of the internal ear ; disease of the bj'-ain. 
The last of these is the least common, un- 
less in persons over sixty years of age. 

lyOSS OF SPEECH {aphasia), or getting the 
wrong words instead of those intended, 
comes from a disorder of the brain. It is 
often accompanied by loss of power, especi- 
ally in the right arm and leg. Loss of voice 
{aphonia) is another thing ; resulting from 
thickening of the lining membrane of the 
windpipe {larynx), or paralysis of its 
muscles ; or, in the dying or nearly dying 
state, extreme debility. 

Symptoms Affecting the Secretions : 
The Bowels. 

Constipation (tightness of the bowels ; 
absence or rarity of movement, and small- 
ness of amount discharged) is almost always 
present during the first days of a fever, of 
any kind except typhoid. Kven in that, also, 
although early looseness of the bowels is 
more common, there is in a few cases a 
short time of constipation. 

Pregnant women are very apt to have 
the bowels constipated, from the partial ob- 
struction produced by the pressure of the 
enlarging uterus upon the lower bowel 
{rectum). Sea-sickness, also, is very often 
attended by slowness of the bowels. But 
the most obstinate and alarming constipa- 
tion is that of obstruction of the boweis ; as 
in strangulated rupture, or in intussusception. 

DiARRHCEA (excessive liquid flow from 
the bowels) is symptomatic of various 
disordered conditions. It is present as a 
rule in typhoid fever, and is common in ad- 
vanced pulmonary cojisumption . It is an 
essential part of the attack in cholera-morbus , 
epidemic cholera, and cholera iiifantiim {swav- 
mer complaint of infants). It occurs fre- 



3J K 



quently by itself, particularly in warm clim- 
ates, and in the summer season. 

Discharges in diarrhoea are either natural 
(fecal), mucous (slimy), bilious, or watery. 
In cholera-mo7-bus , which may be met with 
anywhere, the passages are nearly natural or 
bilious, unless near the end of a very bad 
case. Epidemic cholera is distinguishable 
partly by the rice-water- like abundant dis- 
charges, with no biliary color at all. 

Dysentery is recognized by scanty but 
frequent bloody discharges, with griping 
pai7is, and a disposition to bear down. Slime 
{mucus) is apt to be mingled with blood, 
and at a later period in severe cases there 
may be pus. 

Excretion of the Kidneys. 

Symptoms connected with this excretion 
are : strangury (difficult urination), incon- 
tinence of urine (want of control, especially 
during sleep), retention, suppression, and 
excess of the secretion {diabetes), and un- 
healthy character of the urine passed. 

Strangury sometimes follows the appli- 
cation of a fly {cantharides) blister. Now 
and then it is observed in children from the 
irritation of seat-worms in the lower bowel ; 
and in young infants, owing to an irritating 
quality of the urine ; which, in such a case, 
is pretty sure to be scanty and high colored. 

Nightly incontinence of urine is quite 
common in children, sometimes up to their 
" teens." Dribbling while awake shows a 
much greater loss of power over the blad- 
der. This is seen in many cases of injury or 
serious disease of the spinal marrow. 

Retention of urine may be a very dis- 
tressing symptom. Men suffer it who have 
' ' stricture ' ' of the urethra (outlet tube from 
the bladder) . Nervous disturbance may caus^^ 
it in either sex, but especially often in hys- 
terical women. After child-birth it follows 
pressure upon the neck of the bladder. In 
low fevers, as typhus or typhoid, it results 
from general debility . Its probability should 
always be remembered in such cases, as the 
patient may be ' ' out of his mind ' ' and so 
may give no account of it. We should make 
sure, in a fever case (or, indeed, in any other 
illness), how 77iuch and how ofte7i water is 
passed. If the quantity is certainly small, 
it is necessary to examine the abdomen as 



261 



I8 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



its lowest part, over the bladder. When 
urine is retained, there will be a firm swell- 
ing at the lowest part of the belly, just in 
front, above the bony ridge of the pelvis ; 
and, on tapping there with a finger, a dull 
sound will be made. If the bladder be 
empty, the sound will be rather hollow. 

In some cases of spine disease, there is re- 
tention instead of incontinence of urine. 
This symptom, however produced, often 
calls for relief by the use of a tube introduced 
through the urethra into the bladder, called 
a catheter. It is short and almost straight for 
the female ; longer and curved (if of metal 
or firm rubber) for the male subject. 

Suppression of urine is always a bad 
sign, in any case of disease. It is sometimes 
met with in low fevers, epidemic cholera, 
bad cases of scarlet fever, and long standing 
cases of disease of the kidneys. Urcemia 
(blood poisoning with materials of urine) 
follows it, and usually ends life in a few 
days at most. 

Excess of urinary discharge is called by 
physicians diabetes. It occurs not unfre- 
quently, for a time, after checking of per- 
spiration by exposure to cold and with hy- 
sterical or other nervous persons. 

Qualities of the Urine. 

About forty, or from thirty to fifty, fluid 
ounces (a quart, more or less) of urine is 
passed by a healthy grown person every 
twenty -four hours. It may be retained 
longer in the female than in the male blad- 
der, but not many hours commonly in 
either. More is passed, and more fre- 
quently, during winter than in summer. 

The color of healthy urine is that of am- 
ber. It should be clear when passed, and 
should have very little settling at the bottom, 
even after standing for some hours. Yet 
some change in color, lighter or darker, or 
variations in quantity, and even deposit of 
sediment, may take place while the person 
continues in health. Such alterations often 
show the successful relief of the system , by 
excretion, of what, if not carried oflF, might 
have caused disease. Great a7id continued 
alterations in the urine, however, are impor- 
tant signs of something being wrong; and, 
under skilful examination, the nature of the 
disease may thus be found out. For this 

26 



kind of inquiry the skill of the physician, 
trained in the use of chemical tests and the 
microscope, will be required. 

GraveIv is the term applied to small 
stony particles which are formed in the kid- 
neys from disease, and pass, first along the 
ureters to the bladder, and thence out 
through the tcrethra with the flow of urine. 
Pain, sometimes very severe, may attend 
both of these short journeys of particles, if 
they be large. Often, they are more like 
sand than gravel, and escape without giv- 
ing pain, except that both the kidneys and 
bladder are apt to be in a state of irritation 
at the time of an " attack of gravel." 

Stone in the bladder is of the same na- 
ture, only the particles accumulate into one 
or more masses, which may become very 
large, and cause great suffering ; not seldom, 
unless removed by an operation, shortening 
life. 

Gai,!,- Stones are formed by thickening 
of bile in the gall bladder, which lies under 
the liver, on the right side, near the middle of 
the body. Although the gall-duct, through 
which such stones pass to the small intes- 
tine, is short, a large gall-stone (biliary cal- 
culus) sometimes gives extreme pain in its 
passage. Complete relief comes when it 
enters the small intestine {duodenum) ; as is 
the case likewise when a gravel-sto?ie escapes 
from the ureter into the bladder. 

Perspiration. 

Besides deficiency and excess in this im- 
portant secretion of the skin, it is a familiar 
fact that it has, in some persons, a very 
unpleasant odor, especially in the arm- 
pits and about the feet. Perhaps this is 
somewhat most manifest in the African and 
other tropical races, but much depends on 
individual constitution and cleanliness. A 
few persons, with all possible care of their 
skins, still have a considerable odor, at least 
in warm weather. For such it is important 
to bathe frequently, applying good soap and 
water daily to their armpits and feet ; and 
also to keep their bowels regularly and suf- 
ficiently open. 

In small-pox, typhus fever, and some 
other diseases, an odor peculiar to each is 
given off (in some cases at least) from the 
bod] 



99 



REMEDIES AND THEIR APPLICATION 



Do doctors, properly speaking, cure the 
diseases and injuries of their patients ? 
Yes, and no. Cure comes from a I^atin 
word meaning care ; to iake care of some- 
thing or somebody. That a good physician 
will always do. Sometimes, also, he may 
and must actually interfere with what is 
going on ; as when he gives an antidote for 
a poison, and so saves life that would other- 
wise be lost. But, in many other instances, 
he simply takes care of the patient, and 
Nature cures, in the full sense of that word. 
There is, as we are created, a tendency to get 
well. A bone, for example, is broken. 
What does the surgeon do ? He draws it 
out straight, gets the pieces, into their 
proper line, and puts on splints to keep them 
there. Then the bone knits, in a few weeks, 
of itself. So also with the healing of a 
wound. Its edges are placed and kept 
close together, if that can be done, till they 
unite again ; or, if that be not possible, the 
wounded surface is covered with something 
which can do no harm, and which protects 
the part from outside air and other things, 
until it heals, of itself. 

Here we see that certain conditions are 
wanted in each case, in order that the knit- 
ting or healing will take place. So it is 
with diseases, as well as with injuries. 
Some disorders are naturally self-limited ; 
that is, they will, if the patient lives for a 
certain time, get well of themselves ; they 
run a tolerably regular course, and then 
end. Scarlet fever either kills or is passing 
off, generally, within eight, nine, or ten 
days ; small-pox runs its course, living or 
dying, within about three weeks ; typhus 
fever, in four weeks ; typhoid fever, in the 
same or a longer time ; and so with other 
fevers, all of which are self-limited. 

There will always be need of doctors, 
and of skilful, well-trained, and well- 
informed ones, too, however highly we may 
appreciate the powers of nature and the 
value of good nursing. It is important to 
be sure that by their timely and well-judged 
use even of simple measures, death may 
often be averted or long postponed ; suffer- 
ing may be much lessened, and recovery 



may be hastened from diseases which other- 
wise would be of very uncertaia and far-off 
result. 

lyooking at remedies from our present 
standpoint, we may classify their objects as 
follows. Whatever their nature, they are 
used for one or more of the following pur- 
poses ; 

To relieve pain ; 

To compose nervous disturbance ; 

To promote sleep ; 

To open the bowels ; 

To check diarrhcea ; 

To ease vomiting or sickness of stomach ; 

To allay indigestion ; 

To improve weak digestion ; 

To reduce inflammation ; 

To lower fever ; 

To ease or quiet cough ; 

To stop hemorrhage ; 

To regulate menstruation ; 

To relieve dropsical swelling ; 

To support the system under prostration 
or exhaustion ; 

To increase strength in prolonged de- 
bility ; 

To cure certain diseases by special 
remedies ; 

To expel worms ; 

To antidote poisons ; 

To obviate the danger and suffering of 
accidents or injuries. 

A full consideration of all the articles 
and procedures that are or may be used 
under advice of physicians for these differ- 
ent purposes, would make a work on 
"Materia Medica and Therapeutics." Our 
present aim will be to give a simple general 
view of the subject, and to dwell on such 
remedies as are safe and available in Home 
Medicine. 

To Relieve Pain. 

Much depends on where the pain is, and 
of what sort. Annodynes are medicines 
whose action is to quell pain, by their influ- 
ence upon the brain or nerves. But we do 
not nearly always have to resort to these on 
account of pain, especially when it first 
begi?is to be felt. 



263 



90 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



To Relieve Pain. 

Of all parts of the body, probably the ab- 
domen is the most frequent seat of pain. 
"Stomach-ache" and "colic" are very 
common. The most general cause of such 
attacks is indigestion^ yvith. flat ide^ice (wind 
in the stomach and bowels). To make the 
Tuuscular coat of the stomach and intestines 
contract actively and evenly, all along their 
length, will, at least if done early, be pretty 
sure to give relief. For this purpose we 
give warm and gentle stimulants to the 
stomach, as essence of peppermint, essence 
of ginger, or some other aromatic (spicy) 
medicine. 

But a frequent cause of irritative pain in 
the stomach or bowels is the presence of 
acid from indigestion. Against this we 
have what are called antacids, because they 
neutralize acids by combining with them. 
Such are lime-water^ soda, and inag7iesia. 
Often there is great advantage, in cases of 
colicky pain, in adding one of these to an 
aromatic. 

Further, the bowels are often cojistipatcd 
under the same circumstances, and this 
makes matters worse. It is of much import- 
ance then to viove the bowels, by purgatives, 
or, as the milder ones are called, laxatives. 
Magnesia is one of these, being also, as 
above said, an antacid, thus having a double 
advantage. Rhubarb is another ; it is com- 
bined with aromatics in Spiced Syrup of Rhu- 
barb, an excellent preparation, especially 
for children, and as a 77iixing liquid or 
' ' vehicle ' ' for other stronger and more un- 
pleasant medicines. Another, often good in 
colic, though nasty, is castor-oil. 

Remedy for Pain in Abdomen. 

A safe and often very useful remedy for 
pain in the abdomen, or, indeed, anywhere 
else, is the outward application of a mustard- 
plaster. When doubtful what else to do, 
try that. Properly used, it can do no harm, 
and will most probably do good, often a 
great deal of good. A hot piece of flannel 
laid over the belly will sometimes be almost 
as useful as a mustard-plaster. 

Colicky pain may be lessened by firm 
pressure on both hip bones, near their front 
edge. This can be done with one's own 
thumbs and fingers, or by those of another. 



The pressure should be pretty hard, though 
steady and not enough to hurt of itself. 

Gentle pressure, and still better kneading 
the bowels, at the seat of pain from flatul- 
ence, will often help to scatter the wind and 
promote its moving and passing downwards, 
which is very important to colic. 

Also, rubbing over the stomach and 
back with a hair-brush or clothes-brush, as 
briskly as can be comfortably borne, will 
sometimes do a wonderful amount of good 
for colicky pains. 

If such palliative means as those just 
spoken of, as arojnatics, laxatives, and out- 
ward warming applications, do not, in a 
reasonable time, show signs of affording re- 
lief of severe pain — we may have to obtain 
medical advice, or in its absence to resort to 
anodynes. Of these, the quickest and most 
effectual are those made from opium ^ ^s^&cS.- 
2^y laudanum (tincture of opium). A much 
weaker one is paregoric (camphorated tinc- 
ture of opium). Camphor is, in the form of 
spirits of camphor, both an aromatic and an 
anodyne; in the latter quality, however, 
less potent, at least in ordinary doses, than 
opium. Both, and especially opium, re- 
quire great care in their use. (Doses of all 
remedies and medicines recommended, will 
be found tabulated in a later part of this 
Dook). 

Pain in the abdomen, however, by no 
means always comes from indigestion or 
colic. It may possibly be the beginning of 
infla77imation of the boivels, or of dysentery ; 
ol perito7iitis ; or of obstruction of the bowels. 
It may be seated in the liver ; in the kidneys 
(then rather in the back); if low down, in 
the bladder ; in the female, in the ovaries or 
woinb ; or there may be an aneurism of the 
aorta, or a cancer ; or it may be only a form 
of jieuralgia. For each of these, which a 
good deal of knowledge may be needed to 
ascertain, a different kind of treatment will 
be called for ; the pain being only one of the 
manifestations of disorder. Therefore any 
suspicion of so serious a possibility as either 
of these (or even severe or obstinate colic) will 
be a proper reason for promptly obtaining 
the advice of a physician. 

For the relief of pain in the side or chest, 
a mustard-plaster is to be considered, after 
trial of rubbing, and simple heat (by a hot 



264 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



21 



flannel, hot flat-iron, bag of hot salt or sand, 
or a tin vessel filled with hot water) the first 
active remedy. So much here depends on 
the origin of the pain, that no further uni- 
form treatment of chest or side pains can be 
advantageously laid down. Pain in the 
chest may result from pleurisy, pneumonia, 
neuralgia, rheumatism, heart- diseaes , aneur- 
ism, of the aorta, etc., or from so secondary 
a cause as dyspepsia ("heartburn," cardi- 
algia). Each of these requires some differ- 
ence of management. 

Other Seats of Pain. 

Pain in the head is of several kinds, and 
dependent on several causes. Very seldom 
are anodynes suitable as remedies for head- 
ache, because they all act more or less 
powerfully on the brain, and so, may do 
harm. As a rule, we may say, never take 
opiates or other anodynes for headache, un- 
less directly under medical advice. For 
' ' sick headache, ' ' which is habitual with cer- 
tain persons, and then very hard to cure or 
even relieve, the most frequently useful 
remedy is a dose of m,agnesia or aromatic 
spirit of ammonia. When an aching head 
is hot, we are safe always in trying to cool 
it, by laying upon the forehead a light 
handkerchief wet every few minutes with 
cold water. A neuralgic headache will be 
more likely to be helped by application of 
heat to the part affected. Gentle rubbing 
with a pencil of m.e7ithol, such as is now sold 
by druggists, will often mitigate, if not re- 
lieve, it. 

Pain in the face is likely to be ot one of 
three kinds : toothache in a decayed tooth 
(or more than one) ; inflanimatioyi of the 
jaw ; or neuralgia. For the first, the most 
certain remedy is, to apply to the hollow of 
the aching tooth the end of a bodkin or 
darning-needle, around which is wrapped a 
little bit of cotton dipped in pure creosote. 
'As this will burn the lips or gums if it 
touches them, care should be taken to have 
it overflow as littie as possible ; and a glass 
of cold water must be at hand to rinse the 
drop or two away, if such does escape into 
the mouth. If the creosote reaches the 
right spot, it will quell the pain at once. 
Oil of cloves, used in the same way, is nearly 
as effectual ; and rather less so is laudanum - 



For inflammation of the jaw, advice had 
better be taken at once from a dentist or a 
physician. A hot poultice of flaxseed-meal, 
into which has been poured a teaspoonful 
of laudanum, may be safely applied to the 
painful side of the face, and covered with 
oiled silk (or oiled paper, or thin sheet- 
rubber) to prevent it from drying up and 
getting cold too soon. 

Earache is most common in young child- 
ren. A simple first remedy for it is a drop 
of zvarm sweet oil poured from a bottle or a 
teaspoon into the ear. If that fail to relieve, 
a drop, (or in a child two or three years old, 
two drops) of laudanum may follow it. 

Pain in the joints is usually called rheu- 
matic ; although this word is not always 
definitely used. When there is no swelling, 
or heat (signs of inflammation), warm ap- 
plications are likely to do good. For the 
pain of the joints in inflammatory rheuma- 
tism, the most relieving thing is laudanum ; 
laying on the joint a bit of rag, doubled and 
wet with laudanum, and binding over it a 
piece of oiled silk. It will not do to put 
laudanum in this way over too many parts 
at once ; as some of it is absorbed, a large 
amount of it might narcotize the patient. 

Neuralgic pain in any part of the body 
is generally but one symptom of a general 
condition, depending on a predisposition of 
the nervous system and (in most, not all 
cases) poverty of the blood. 

The former, being constitutional, is to be 
attended to by all the ways we have of 
favoring the general improvement of health 
and strength. Poverty of blood is treated 
also by good nourishing food and iron. For 
the immediate relief of attacks of neuralgia, 
many tilings are helpful, while nothing is 
certain in every case ; except that, if driven 
to it by great suffering or exhaustion from 
pain, anodynes (as opium, or morphia, or 
some of their preparations) will stupefy 
sufl&ciently to " drown " the agony. 

Temporary weakness often brings on at- 
tacks of neuralgic pain in those disposed to 
have them. Such persons should never 
wait too long for a meal. I,ikewise, hot 
food, as a cup of hot milk, or cocoa, or beef- 
tea, at the very beginning of the attack, 
may stop its progress. 



n 



265 



22 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Heat applied to the painful part will fre- 
quently do good ; any convenient mode of 
application will answer. On some parts of 
the body a mustard- plaster is just the thing. 
Siinshine will (as I have seen) cure some 
attacks. On the other hand, I have read of 
ice applications having the same effect ; but 
I have never witnessed its trial. The Jap- 
anese remedy, menthol, or oil of peppermittt, 
is conveniently applicable in the form of 
rounded sticks, made by the druggists by 
mixing it with spermaceti. One of these 
may be gently rubbed over the painful part 
for a few moments at a time. 

Various powerful anodynes are some- 
times advised by physicians to be put upon, 
or hypodermically injected near the seat of 
severe and obstinate neuralgic pain. As in 
the case of rhenmatic joiiits a rag soaked in 
laudanum, laid on the part and covered with 
oiled silk (or oiled paper) will often stupefy 
the nerves of the part so as to quell the pain. 
Anodyne linivie^its are often used with ad- 
vantage. I may mention one which is 
moderate in strength and safe (applied out- 
side only) : mix one drachm of chloral hy- 
drate with four fluidounces of soap liniment. 
This is to be gently rubbed in, for a few 
minutes at a time, over the part affected 
with pain. 

Pain at time of menstruation {dys- 
menorrhcea^ is habitual with some women, 
and occasional with others. For its pre- 
vention , those liable to it should keep quiet 
for a couple of days before the expected 
time, and then for another day or two. 
When the pain has commenced, the proper 
position is lying down. Warmth, not ex- 
cessive, but enough for entire comfort, is 
also needful. Hot drinks, such as gijiger 
tea, or hot water with a little essence of 
ginger in it, or a teaspoonful of compou7id 
spirits of lavender, will be suitable. So will 
spirits of camphor, or camphor water, and, in 
bad cases, paregoric, or even (carefully) 
laudanum. Clothes wrung out of hot water 
may be applied to the lower part of the ab- 
domen. Very severe suffering of this kind 
may, in rare cases, call for injection of 
laudanum into the bowels. 

Piles (small lumps at or near the anus, 
i.e. outlet from the lower bowel) are some- 
times very painful, especially at or after the 



time of movement of the bowels. Consti- 
pation should be avoided, as far as possible, 
by those who are troubled with piles, and 
yet purging actively will not agree with 
them. Rhubarb is the best laxative in such 
cases ; or sulphur , not magnesia. 

Inflamed piles may be soothed, if much 
heated, by application of very cold water. 
Yet, contradictory as it seems, warm, or 
moderately hot water, will give still more 
comfort in some cases. A flaxseed poultice 
into which a teaspoonful of laudanum has 
been poured will be suitable when the pa- 
tient is in bed with a bad attack. An oint- 
ment, as cold cream (of the apothecary), 
should be frequently applied. It is well to 
know that an attack of pain and soreness in 
piles (which are often present without giving 
much trouble) may be many times prevented 
by the early and free anointing of the parts 
with cold cream, tallow, or lard. 

Strangury (pain in passing water) is to 
be treated by the warm bath, or hip-bath 
(sitting-bath), followed by an application 
over the bladder, or between the thighs, of 
cloths wrung out of hot water. Also, taking 
camphor water and flaxseed tea containing 
a little sweet spirits of nitre, as a drink. 
Severe cases may justify an injection of 
laudanum into the bowels, or the placing in 
the lo A^er bowel of a suppository of opium. 

Under the name of anodynes (pain re- 
lievers) several other drugs are named in 
medical books. We need only mention here 
hydrate of chloral, belladonna, cocaine, 
hyoscyamus, stramonium, cannabis indica, 
and chloroform. Every one knows, also, 
what a boon to those who have to undergo 
surgical or dental operations is the breathing 
(inhalation) of anaesthetics, as ether, nitrous 
oxide, and chloroform. These are called by 
that name because they annul sensation, for 
the time. For extracting teeth, pure ni- 
trous oxide is the best ; for larger opera- 
tions, ether is much safer, though less con- 
venient, than chloroform. The use of 
ether, in this way, requires much skill, 
judgment, and care. 

Composing Nervous Disturbance. 

What this requires depends very greatly 
on the cause and nature of the trouble. 
For infants, as wfell as older persons, nervous 



266 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



23 



disturbance may vary all the way from 
slight fidgeting to fits or convulswis . Mild 
medicines for moderate degrees of, for ex- 
ample, " hysterical " nervousness, are assa- 
foetida, carnpho?-, valerian, and Hoffman's 
Anodyiu. Physicians often prescribe also, 
bromide of potassium (or of sodium), musk, 
and others. 

Convulsions are very much more com- 
mon in children than in grown people ; and 
most so of all at teething time. They are 
least dangerous during infancy, but are 
always alarming. What is to be done be- 
tween times to prevent or ward them off, is 
an important and often difficult question for 
even the physician to answer. 

When a child " has a fit," lay it upon a 
bed, loosening all its clothing, especially 
about its neck. Have good fresh air in the 
room, but also sufiicient warmth. Make 
two mustard-plasters, one for the stomach 
and one for the back. Get a warm (almost 
hot) bath ready. If the plasters are pre- 
pared first, put them on ; if the bath first, 
let them wait, and place the child in the 
warm water at once. In the last case, also 
pour gently cold water over the head while 
the child is held laid in the bath. 

The mustard-plasters (whether first or 
second in time) are only to stay on long 
enough to redden, not blister, the skin. This 
should be ascertained by looking under the 
plaster every few minutes. A very little 
while will be enough to redden and burn a 
child's skin if the plaster is strong of mus- 
tard. But it will be better for it to have, 
for an infant, only one-third part of mustard, 
the rest flour or Indian meal. 

After the bath, have prepared a mixture 
of soap and hot water, and into a teacupful 
of this put a dessertspoonful of milk of assa- 
foetida (if at hand) and a teaspoonful of 
castor or olive oil. Let this be thrown into 
the bowels with an injecting syringe ; a 
towel being then held for a little while 
against the fundament to prevent the injec- 
tion from escaping at the moment. 

Adult men and women rarely (although 
they do sometimes) have convulsions, ex- 
cept those which are either hysterical, 
puerperal, or epileptic. The principles of 
management of hysterical and epileptic con- 
vulsions, during the attack, are essentially 



567 



the same as for that of infantile convulsions. 
Treatment between attacks is a more difficult 
affair — to be conducted by those who are 
skilled in medicine. Puerperal convulsions 
(that is, occurring during labor, or after 
childbirth) are more peculiar, and ought 
always to have immediate attendance from 
a physician. Few cases of illness are more 
serious and critical than these ; not only in 
appearance, but in reality. 

Promotion of Sleep. 

When sleeplessness comes as one of the 
symptoms of a disease, it may not have to 
be dealt with by itself, at least with medi- 
cine, unless it be more prolonged and dis- 
tressing than usual. In every case quiet- 
ness is indispensable, through the evening 
and night. Little or no light should, during 
the night, reach the eyes of the patient : if 
accustomed to darkness, this will be best. 

If difficulty of sleeping (insomnia^ result 
from nervous disturbance, exhaustion, over- 
study or anxiety, management should always 
be perseveringly tried before resorting to 
drugs so powerful as the sleep -producers 
{hypnotics, 7iarcotics^ 

Very light, easily digested food should, 
under such circumstances, make the last 
meal of the day. Yet a person not strong 
will sometimes be kept awake by having an 
empty stomach late at night. A cracker, a 
drink of sugared water, or a small wine- 
glassful of beef- tea, may then make a better 
night. No excitement of the brain, as by 
reading or continued conversation, should 
be allowed for two hours before usual sleep- 
ing time. Being read aloud to, if the book 
be not too interesting, answers in some 
cases ; but an objection to it is that it re- 
quires the presence of more light than is de- 
sirable. 

Mothers and nurses often sing their 
babies to sleep. That is a very good expe- 
dient, and may now and then succeed even 
with a grown person. 

Exercise, in moderation, and in propor- 
tion to one's strength, may be very well 
taken in the evening to promote sleep. A 
walk in the open air will do, or a few min- 
utes' flourishing of not too heavy dumb- 
belle. Getting a little tired makes one 



B4 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



sleep ; while real exhaustion has the con- 
trary effect. 

Some people imagine that if they cannot 
get asleep at once, they might as well be up 
and doing something, reading or writing, or 
walking about. This is a very great mis- 
take. If not sound asleep, or even far 
enough towards that to entirely lose con- 
sciousness, we may yet get a good deal of 
rest in partial sleep ; and the more of this we 
get the better, in the saving and renewal 
of strength. Keep still, then, in the dark, 
with closed eyes, and try to dismiss active 
thought. Count loo, 200, 300 ; repeat dog- 
gerel verses, as wrong as you can misre- 
member them ; watch imaginary sheep 
jumping over fancied stiles, one, two, three, 
four, and on, to twenty-five or fifty. Fight 
your eyelids ; after a while, the brain-vibra- 
tions, like those of a bell that has been 
struck, will lull by degrees, and sleep may 
come at last. 

Hardly without a doctor's advice, if 
that can be procured, ought any one to take 
strong sleep-compelling doses, such as hy- 
drate of chloral, laudanum, or solutio7i of 
morphia. Lactucarium, which is obtained 
from the garden lettuce, used for salad, is 
much milder than opium ; auv- camphor 
water will, when mere nervous restlessness is 
the matt^, often compose so as to allow of 
sleep. Hoffmann'' s Anodyneis similar in its 
effect, and tmdiire of hops, or a tea made of 
hops, is very quieting. Even a hop-pillow, 
made by sprinkling hop-leaves with alcohol 
and binding them in a pillow-case, will 
sometimes bring the tossing head to rest. 

Purgative fledicines. 

A large number of drugs act upon the 
bowels ; cathartics is a technical name for 
these. Only a few of them need to be con- 
sidered in connection with our present plan. 

Rh2ibarb is adapted to a greater variety 
of cases than any other medicine for the 
simple purpose of relieving constipation. 
Simple syrtlp of rhubarb is very good for this 
use with babies. Younger yet, however 
(under a year) , sweet oil (olive oil) is mildest 
of all, u:i ie'-s it be manna or glycerine Fhiid 
extract of senna, with one drop oi oil of a?iiseed 
or oil of fennel in a teaspoonful of it, is also 
a good infantile laxative. Castor oil comes 



268 



next, when a more active purge is wanted ; 
or, when there is sourness of stomach, mag- 
nesia . 

At any age, magnesia is the best antacid 
laxative. Castor oil is to be preferred when 
colic or irritation of the bowels is present. 
[Give it in twice as much spiced syrup oj 
rhzibarb, well mixed up.] 

Saline purgatives are useful generallv 
at an early time of attacks of sickness witn 
fever. Take citrate of magnesium or Tat- 
ranV s Aperient. Seidlitz powders are of 
similar cooling effect ; and the same is true 
of Rochelle salt and cream of tartar. Pullna 
and Hunyadi mineral waters please the taste 
of some. 

At the beginning of acute attacks of dis- 
ease with fever, the use of some purgative 
medicine, especially of the saline kind, is 
very serviceable and importatit. This is true, 
as a rule, oi measles, scarlet fever, whooping- 
cough, small- pox, and varioloid; and, with 
more discrimination of cases and modera- 
tion in doses, also of diphtheria and typhus 
fever. Typhoid fever has diar7'hGea as an 
early symptom generally. If, in it, the 
bowels are exceptionally costive, only a tea- 
spoo7iful of castor oil had better be ventured 
upon to relieve the bowels. In measles the 
bowels sometimes incline to be too free ; 
but this should not prevent our making sure 
of their full movement during the first two 
or three days. When, after that, they be- 
come too loose, a weakening excess of purg- 
ing may be checked by suitable means, 
such as will be presently mentioned. 

Vox habitual costiveness , either chewing at 
bedtime a small piece of Turkey rhubarb 
root (as big as a pea), or taking at that time 
a rhubarb pill, will ho. the best thing to be- 
gin with. If that fails, take another piece, 
or another pill, also before breakfast. 

Compoujid rhubarb pills are stronger ; 
they will, with most people, purge rather 
actively. Compound cathartic pills, of the 
United States list, are too strong to use ex- 
cept when a very decided purgation is needed. 

Often, when the mildest and least dis- 
turbing way of emptying the lower bowel is 
required, an enema (injection into the 
bowels) will be the best. For this, a simple 
and generally satisfactory mixture will be 
made by dissolving a thumb -sized piece of 



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_-4 











THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



25 



Castile soap in warm (almost hot) water, 
and stirring into this a tablespoonful of 
molasses, a tablespoonful of table salt, and a 
tablespoonful of olive or lard oil, or a des- 
sertspoonful of castor oil. There are differ- 
ent kinds of injecting arrangements. With 
the most convenient, a person can (unless 
ill) wait upon himself. If too sick for this, 
or if only the old-fashioned straight syringe 
can be had, its point should be greased with 
lard, and then, the patient lying (best on one 
side) on a bed, it can be very gently intro- 
duced into the opening to the bowel to the 
distance of an inch or so, and gradually the 
liquid may be forced through the syringe. 

Suppositories are sometimes yet more 
convenient, and are least disturbing of all ; 
but they are not so sure to take effect, and 
their action does not extend far upward. A 
suppository is a small soft mass, preprared 
for the purpose ; rounded, about as large as 
the last joint of a woman's little finger. 
Common brow7i soap, cut into such a size 
and shape, and dipped in castor oil, or lard, 
may be so used. All that is to be done is to 
push it well into the anus (outlet of the 
bowel), and let it stay there. 

After either a suppository or an enema 
has been introduced, the patient ought to 
try to retain it for some minutes, for effective 
operation. 

To Check Diarrhoea. 

Not every looseness of the bowels ought 
to be stopped at once by medicine. Some- 
times it is a relief to a condition of the sys- 
tem which would involve a worse illness if 
it did not come. 

Infants, especially, need to have the 
bowels moved two or three times daily ; 
most of all while they are teething. We do 
not call it diarrhoea in them unless there are 
at least four or five large liquid passages in 
twenty-four hours. Of course when it is 
jexcessive it must be attended to, or weak- 
'ness and exhaustion will follow. 

Correctives, generally, should be the 
first things given in babies' diarrhoea. Sour- 
ness of stomach is commonly present with 
it ; therefore liifie-water being antacid, is 
particularly suitable. Another good cor- 
rective is spiced syrup of ?'kubarb. On ac- 
count of the spices in it, this article does odt 



R Pros 



269 



purge like simple syrup of rhubarb ; it only 
promotes an even, regular action of the mus- 
cular coat of the bowels, and so tends to gel 
things right again. 

Soda {sodizmi bicarbonate) is an antacid 
corrective, stronger in this effect than lime- 
water ; but less astringent or binding. 

Ci?inamon water is a gentle astringent ; 
so is camphor water. These do well to come 
next after lime-water or soda and spiced 
rhubarb, if the complaint is not corrected by 
them. Should it still be obstinate, more 
potent checking medicines will be needful. 
Of these, ^ar<?^£'rzV and laudaiiuni have much 
power ; but they must be used very cau- 
tiously, on account of their containing 
opium. 

Of the many astringent medicines em- 
ployed by physicians, under whose advice, 
when it can be had, they had better be 
taken, we may mention here, as possibly 
wanted in home practice, chalk mixture and 
tincttire of catechu. A desperate and ex- 
hausting diarrhoea, which resists all such 
treatment as has now been spoken of, may 
call for the use of a laudanum and starch 
enema. This is introduced with a small 
syringe, even for a grown person ; the ob- 
ject being to have it stay in the bowel ; just 
the opposite of what we want from a pzirga- 
tive injection. A syringe holding an ounce 
will do for this purpose for an adult ; half an 
ounce for a child. Two or three drops of 
laudanum, with starch, made not too thick 
to run, will be the infantile dose for such an 
enema (even less for a babe under a year 
old) ; thirty or forty drops of laudanum, 
with less than an ounce of starch, for a 
grown person. 

Dysentery differs from diarrhoea, in 
having many small and bloody passages, 
with str-aining or bearing down, as well as 
pain. (Sometimes there is abdominal pain 
with or before each passage in diarrhoea.) 

Sick Stomach. 

As this occurs under a variety of circum- 
stances, the main treatment of every case 
must depend upon its nature and cause. 
We may name, however, several remedies 
which will do good in most cases of nausea 
or vomiting, and which, therefore, it will be 
safe to use while awaiting medical advice- 



S6 



'I HE FAMILY DOCTOR 



ICR is one of these. It may be taken 
into the mouth in small pieces, and melted 
before swallowing. This is helpful in nine 
out of ten instances of sick stomach, and in 
the tenth case will do no harm. 

Lime-water is beneficial in most of 
such cases ; when nourishment is needed, it 
may be given in equal parts with milk, 
from a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful of each. 

KeeervESCing waters (mineral- water, 
soda-water, Apollinaris, etc.), made cool 
with ice, very often assist in relieving 
nausea. When sea-sick , iced mineral-water 
will be likely to help more than anything 
else. 

When weakness is present, teaspoonful 
doses of brandy or (the best) whiskey may 
be appropriate. The smallness of the dose 
is here especially important, and it need not 
often be repeated more than three or four 
times, at intervals of half an hour or so, 
unless great exhaustion is impending. Very 
seldom ought anything alcoholic to be ven- 
tured upon as a remedy without the express 
advice of a medical authority. Children's 
doses, of such and of all strong medicines 
should be very small Ten drops of brandy 
or whiskey will be enough at a time (if 
needed at all) for a child of two or three 
years, where a teaspoonful would be given to 
a grown or nearly grown person. 

Aromatic Spirit oe Ammonia is re- 
viving to one who is faint with sickness of 
stomach. It is antacid as well as stimulant. 

Soda (bicarbonate of sodium) is antacid, 
but not stimulant. It is generally very com- 
fortable to a disturbed stomach. 

Warming stomachic doses for nausea 
are ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and other aro- 
matics (spicy articles) in small doses. 
Large draughts of ginger, hoarhound, cham- 
omile, or boneset tea, or even of clove or 
cinnamon infusion, will bring on vomiting. 
This is an instructive example of the oppo- 
site effects, often produced by the same 
thing, in small and in large doses. 

Sometimes, with constipation, or even, 
especially in summer, with commencing 
diarrhoea, small doses of magnesia are com- 
posing to the stomach. The same is true of 
very small doses of calomel (^V to }^ of a 
grain), which, however, belongs to the phy- 
sician's rather than to the home list of medir- 

2 



cines. Still, out in the country, where ad- 
vice cannot always be had in time, a family 
medicine-chest may very well have in it, 
among other things only for posssible or occa 
sional use, a small box or package of -^^- 
grain calotnel-powders . They may be ser- 
viceable particularly at an early stage of 
summer compiaiiit in children. 

Paregoric is the only other medicine 
needing here to be mentioned among those 
likely to assist in quieting a nauseated 
stomach. 

Outside, an early remedy for vomiting 
may, in any case, safely be, a mustard-plas- 
ter over the pit of the stomach. For a 
young child, a spice-plaster will, for this 
purpose, be preferable ; made by mixing 
together one or two teaspoonfuls each of 
several spices — as ginger, cloves, and cinna- 
mon, or half as much red pepper, with a 
similar amount of wheat or Indian flour ; 
wetting these with whiskey, and spreading 
them on a piece of muslin or thin flannel. 
This, when laid over the stomach, should be 
covered with a piece of oiled silk or oiled 
paper or rubber-cloth, to retain its moisture 
for a longer time. 

Indigestion. 

A much overloaded stomach is best re- 
lieved by being made to throw out its con- 
tents under the action of an emetic. This 
is, however, a harsh remedy, not nowadays 
often resorted to. 

Ordinary indigestion requires, for one 
thing, to give the stomach rest. I^et no 
food be taken for a number of hours ; if the 
patient is strong enough, not for a whole 
day. Make sure that the bowels are open ; 
to carry off the refuse of undigested or half- 
digested food. 

If the stomach is still unsettled, the aids 
to nature which we may resort to are those 
just above-mentioned, as suitable for cases 
of nausea and vomiting. Small and few 
doses, however, are likely to be necessary 
for common attacks of indigestion. If, 
with these, there are dizziness, headache, a 
yellow tongue or eyes, and a bitter taste in 
the morning on awaking — a set of symptoms 
designated usually as biliousness — small 
doses of the old-fashioned blue pill may be 
reasonably and safely given. 
70 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



27 



Practically speaking, of blue pill, a 
small dose for indigestion, with signs of par- 
ticipation by the liver, will be one grain at 
night, and again the next morning ; and per- 
haps again the second night. Compound 
gentian pills may be taken for two or three 
days, if entire relief does not come sooner. 
This is the prescription : 

Take of blue mass, five grains ; powder of rhu- 
barb root, and extract of gentian, each twenty 
grains ; oil of cloves, four drops. Mix these to- 
gether, and divide the whole into twenty pills. 
One or two should be taken at once. 

When there is lingering indigestion, 
after an attack, with some flatulence, the 
bowels not being sufficiently free, yet not re- 
quiring a strong purge, two of the above 
pills may be taken, twice daily, for two or 
three days ; not longer at one time, on ac- 
count of their containing a small amount of 
mercury. 

Continued Weak Digestion, 

The class of medicines which particu- 
larly tone up a weak and relaxed stomach 
are the simple vegetable bitters. Such are 
quassia, cohimbo, gentian, and some others. 
Simple bitters we call these, because they 
have no other very positive quality except 
the bitter taste, and no marked effect upon 
the human system except as tonics to the 
stomach . (In laj'ge draughts their infusions 
or " teas " will act as emetics.^ 

There are some bitters which have other 
very important actions. Quinia is one, got 
from Peruvian bark ; it acts powerfully on 
the nervous system, and is the special 
remedy for malarial fevers. The same bark 
contains also cinchonia, and several other 
more or less bitter tonic and nervine ' ' alka- 
loids," as the chemists name them. 

Nux Vomica is a very powerful bitter 
nervine tonic. Out of it is obtained strych- 
nia, one of the deadliest of poisons, but also 
one of the most valuable of medicines, 
when used with judgment, care, and skill. 
With this information, we may venture to 
add that the tincture of nux vomica, in ten- 
drop doses, twice or thrice daily, is one of 
the most effective of all the stomachic bit- 
ters, in cases of continued weakness of di- 
gestion, with flatulence. 



These bitters generally improve the ap- 
petite, which is almost always poor when 
the stomach is otherwise weak. For the 
same end, as appetizers, mineral acids are 
useful ; dilute aromatic sulphuric acid, for 
example, under the common name of elixir 
of vitriol, and chlorohydric acid, formerly, 
and sometimes now, called hydrocholoric, or 
muriatic acid. Nitromuriatic acid adds a 
special tendency to act upon the liver. One 
or other of these acids, and most of all the 
last named, is often given to the subjects of 
prolonged indigestion, along with the vege- 
table bitters. 

To Reduce Inflammation. 

A serious task, this is, in many instances; 
taxing the doctor's skill, and not very rarely 
baffling him. How, then, can one say any- 
thing about it in a work on Home Medi- 
cine ? A few clear principles seem to be all 
that can be here spoken of, referring the 
reader for a larger discussion of the subject 
to treatises designed for the medical pro- 
fession. 

Inflammation (as already said in that 
part of this book which dealt with the 
nature of diseases) may affect any organ or 
portion of the living body. When it attacks 
one of the more important organs, or even 
extensively involves the skin, life may be 
endangered by it. If only a small part, as 
an eye, ear, hand, or foot, is infl.amed, there 
is usually much less danger, though there 
may be a great deal of suffering. Moreover, 
an inflammation may spread, as from the ear 
or the eye to the brain ; or some poisonous 
(septic) matter may be formed in the in- 
flamed part, and by blood-poisoning {sep- 
ticcemia"), the whole body may suffer and 
perhaps die. Septicaemia is very often 
fatal, but a vast multitude of people have 
inflamed hands, feet, eyes, noses, jaws, etc., 
without either it or the allied disorder, 
pygemia. The liability to such accidents of 
inflammation is greatest where the atmos- 
phere of the place is foul. 

Taking a broad general view of inflam- 
mations as a class of disorders, it may be 
said that they have three stages, or progres- 
sive changes. 

First comes excitement. Towards the 
centre of the inflamed part, the arterial 



271 



25 



J HE tAMILY JJULIUK 



blood-vessels beat and throb ; being roused 
to endeavor, so to speak, to overcome the 
obstruction there. Heat, redness, swelling, 
and pain, all belong to this stage. 

Then follows exudation. This is the 
forcing of some of the fluid portion of the 
blood (often with some of the white cor- 
puscles ; occasionally also a number of the 
red corpuscles) out, under the pressure of the 
excitement and resistance together, through 
the walls of the vessels, into the substance 
of the part. If this fluid is thin, it may col- 
lect as a " serous effusion ; ' ' such as is fre- 
quently the result of pleurisy. When thick 
and adhesive, it glues parts together {plastic 
lymph); this happens in the pleura, in the 
peritoneum, in the pericardium, and in the 
membranes of the brain. If, again, there 
are many white corpuscles in it, and the 
vitality of the part is disturbed much, pits 
is formed ; we have suppuration ; with 
either an abscess, or, at once, a yellowish or 
greenish prudent discharge (as in severe 
bronchitis) . 

This is one way in which the three stages 
of inflammation may follow one another. 
But, differently from this, there may be the 
firststageof excitement, and thesecond, ol ex- 
udation (effusion), with, for a third, instead 
of suppuration, gangrene, or viortification. 

More frequently we have inflammatory 
excitement, and moderate or small exuda- 
tion, followed by resolution ; that is, the 
inflammatory process ceases, without either 
suppuration or gangrene ; and the part and 
the patient get well. 

Now, what can be done by treat )ne}it 
against the going on of inflammation to its 
worst (gangrene), or the next worst (sup- 
puration), or the third in seriousness (liquid 
eff"usion) ? 

We can attack it in the first stage of ex- 
citement, with, in many cases, very good 
effect. This is what we mean by reduciyig 
inflammation ; moderating the violence of 
the conflict between the surrounding throb- 
bing blood-vessels and the obstructed centre, 
so that the least possible damage shall be 
done by it. 

Means Used in Reducing Inflammatoin. 

For this purpose, the means available in 
different cases are, chiefly, these : 



27: 



Rest ; Position ; Cold ; Diet ; Purgatio?i ; 
Blood- letti7ig ; Cooling Medicijies ; Nervous 
Sedatives ; Cowiter irritation. 

Rest of the part is indispensable in all 
inflammations. When the part is small, 
and is not used in moving about, the body 
need not be absolutely confined. If it be 
otherwise, as when an ankle is inflamed 
from a severe sprain, and still more when a 
lung, or the pleura, or a bowel, is so af- 
fected, the rest must be complete, in bed. 
Carrying a sore hand in a sling rests it ; 
covering an inflamed eye with adhesive 
plaster closing the lids, or remaining in a 
darkened room, gives it repose. But any 
one with an inflamed lung must be kept as 
still as possible ; and must not even speak, 
unless in a whisper. If the brain be in- 
flamed, quietness and almost darkness will 
be necessary, to avoid mental as well as 
bodily disturbance. 

Position can be made to help when a 
hand or a foot is inflamed. By keeping the 
part raised, the tendency of blood towards 
it will be lessened advantageously. 

Cold is often a powerful antiphlogistic, 
as old writers called whatever tends to 
reduce inflammation. It must, however, be 
steadily applied, to have this effect. Dash- 
ing cold water on a part and then leaving it, 
in a place not itself freezing cold, will from 
reaction, make it warmer than before. 
When the brain is inflamed, a good plan is 
to shave the head, or at least cut the hair 
very short, and keep it half covered with 
light rags soaked in ice- water. For stead- 
iness of effect, the rags must be dipped in the 
cold water every few minutes. A more 
effectual method — more convenient, how- 
ever, for the abdomen than for the head — is 
to lay over the inflamed part a coil of light 
rubber tubing, through which cold water is 
made to pass. This is done b}^ placing one 
end of the tube in a vessel of water some- 
what higher than the body, and allowing 
the water to pass out at the other end, which 
is placed lower. 

DiKT was formerly much relied upon, 
and low diet was made very low — almost to 
starvation. We know now, that inflam- 
mation is possible in feeble as well as in 
strong bodies. Not every one can bear 
doing long without food, or even with too 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



«5 



little food. Also, strength is necessary to 
shake oflf disease, so to speak. It is not 
strength, but excitement, that we want to 
reduce. A really low, thin diet, therefore, 
is only suitable for a strong person, and in 
no case for many days together, during 
illness. It is important, however, when 
fever is present, with which the power of 
digestion is always weak, to give food in a 
simple, liquid form, so as to cause the 
stomach no trouble in appropriating it. 

Purging medicines act like an unstim- 
ulating diet, in cooling the blood, and thus 
promoting a quieter action of the heart and 
arteries. This favors the reduction of the 
excitement which attends a violent inflam- 
mation of any part. The cathartics which 
have the most effect of this kind are the 
Salines, as Epsom salts, Rochelle salt, 
citrate of magnesium, cream of tartar, etc. 

Taking blood, either from a vein in the 
arm (venesection) or by leeches or cups, 




LEECHES APPLIED. 



from an inflamed part (local blood-letting), 
is a very ancient remedy. Once overmuch 
used, the reaction in our time has gone quite 
too far against it. It is a very valuable 
means of reducing inflammation. 

Cooling or Sedative Medicines. 

CooiviNG (sedative) medicines are in 
place chiefly in inflammatory affections of 
the breathing organs, as pneumonia, bron- 
chitis, and pleurisy. Tartar emetic is the 



most powerful of these. Once it was very 
largely used. Its harsh action upon the 
stomach and bowels has caused it to be uor^ 
given mostly in very small doses ; from the 
one- sixteenth to the one fourth of a grain 
only, for adults, at an early stage of a vio- 
lent inflammation attended by fever. Tar- 
tar emetic is not suitable to be used as a do- 
mestic medicine. 

Ipecacuanha resembles it in its dispo- 
sition to bring on vomiting, but is very 
much milder and safer. Ipecacuanha is a 
very proper article for family use, under 
many circumstances. 

Nitrate of Potassium is a sedative, cool- 
ing medicine, not now very largely used by 
ph3^sicians. Digitalis was once considered 
a sedative ; now it is called a tonic to the 
heart. Ergot has great popularity in the 
medical profession at the present time, in 
the treatment of subacute inflammatory 
troubles, particularly of the spinal marrow. 
None of these last — nitrate of potassium, 
digitalis, or ergot — can be advantageously 
used without medical advice. 

The nerve-centres have much influence 
over the movements of the blood, and some 
nervous sedatives are important in their sec- 
ondary effects upon inflammation. 

Aco7iite is one of these. It is a strong 
poison in any but very small doses, and must 
be used only with the greatest care. Ti7ic- 
ture of aconite is the common preparation. 
Its dose is from half a drop to one or two 
drops, in water, every one, two, or three 
hours. Some physicians of experience give 
it in almost all cases of inflammation of the 
lungs, pleura, etc., even in children. If it 
is kept in the family medicine-chest, it 
should be distinctly marked poison. 

Opiiun has obtained a very large place in 
the treatment of one dangerous inflammation , 
that of the peritoneum (^peritonitis') , which 
lines the whole interior of the abdomen. 
Opium tends to constipate the bowels, and 
powerfully affects the brain. It also tends 
to diminish secretion in the air-passages, 
and therefore it does not appear to be suita- 
ble, at least at an early stage, in inflamma- 
tion of the bowels, brain, or lungs, or in 
acute bronchitis. After the excitement has 
subsided, in dysentery and in bronchitis, per- 
haps sometimes in pneumonia, it may aid in 



= 73 



30 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



allaying pain and checking excessive dis- 
charges. 

Counter-irritation is a term which 
explains itself. Endeavor is made to draw 
blood and nervous excitement from an in- 
flamed part by a harmless irritation or in- 
flammation somewhere else. Blisters are 
strong means of this kind. A blister is 
raised by leaving on the skin for a time a 
plaster made of ointment of cantharides ; or 
painting the part with cantharidal collodion, 
and covering it, while moist, with a piece of 
oiled silk. With a child, an hour or two 
will generally be enough to allow the can- 
tharides (Spanish fly) to act. In a grown 
person, it may require three, four, or more 
hours. There should always be a piece of 
gauze between the skin and the blistering 
plaster, so that it can be entirely removed at 
the proper time. When it is taken off", the 
scarf-skin (cuticle) being raised in watery 
swellings, these may be pricked with a point 
of any kind, to let the water out. Then 
there should be placed over the sore surface 
a piece of muslin or lint thickly spread with 
simple cerate, to heal it up in two or three 
days. 

The time for blistering (which is only 
called for in rather bad attacks of internal 
inflammation) is not at the beginning of the 
case, but after the excitement of the circula- 
tion has ceased. The disorders, in the 
course of which, at such a stage, a blister is 
most likely to do good, are inflammation of 
the brain , pJieumo?iia , pleurisy and jnembra- 
nous croup. 

Other modes of counter-irritation are, 
painting the skin with tincture of iodiyie ; 
rubbing over a small surface a drop or two of 
croton oil ; or a little tartar emetic ointment. 

Painting with iodine is a milder measure 
than blistering with cantharides ; and it 
may be resorted to in a greater number of 
cases, of moderate violence. Croton oil and 
tartar emetic ointment are only employed in 
obstinate chronic cases of irritation of inter- 
nal organs . They produce very sore , pimply , 
or pustular eruptions.* 

* If either of these should be used, great care 
must be taken not to get the oil or ointment into 
any one's eyes. A patient of mine nearly blinded 
himself by neglecting this precaution ; putting his 
fingers to his eyes just after rubbing croton oil 
upon a part of the skin. 



Fever. 

Reminding the reader of what was said, 
a few pages back, of the nature and signs of 
fever, it may be said now, that what we 
want to do when those signs {Jieat, excite- 
7nent of the circulation, locking up of secre- 
tions, and weahiess') are present, is, first, and 
chiefly, to ascertain and remove, if possible, 
the cause of the attack. We should also 
try to lessen the heat, promote the return of 
the secretions, and support the system 
through its period of weakness. 

To diminish heat, cold water is the great 
remedy. Almost incredible it seems, that 
physicians were once afraid to give cold 
drinks to patients suffering with raging 
fever. A man with small-pox, two hun- 
dred years ago, was shut up in a close 
room, with red curtains hanging about his 
bed, blankets piled on him to promote pers- 
piration, and, for the same end, only hot and 
bitter drinks, herb teas, were allowed him ! 
All the world knows better now, and follows 
nature's pointing better than that. Thirst 
is an almost universal symptom of fever; 
and frequent draughts of cold water are its 
best remedy. Ice- water is not the best, at 
least if the draughts craved and taken are 
large ; it may be, to the most advantage, of 
about the temperature of deep well-water ; 
about 50° to 52° Fahr. ; although nearer 
the freezing-point will answer well. If the 
stomach is very irritable, as is often the case 
in autumnal remittent and in yellow fever, 
small lumps of ice melted in the mouth and 
then swallowed, at short intervals, will do 
better than drinking much water at a time. 

Cold water outside is a remedy naturally 
thought of; and it may be used, but care- 
fully. Sudden chilling is not safe. Some 
physicians, especially in Germany, now 
treat cases of typhoid fever by immersing 
the patient for ten minutes at a time in a 
really cold bath. This seems to me not a 
plan to be approved. But the sponging of 
the face, arms, hands, and, part after part, 
the whole body, with cold or cool water, 
two or three times a day, is an admirable 
means of relief in fevers generally. Its ser- 
vice is perhaps most marked in scarlet fever, 
when the surface of the body is ofteq in- 
tensely hot ; the whole skin seems to be 



274 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



3» 



Inflamed. Bear in mind the great principle : 
we want to temper, to moderate the exces- 
sive heat ; not to chill the body below its 
normal degree. 

Certain additions to water as a drink will 
contribute to its refrigerant action. Acids 
have this tendency. Lemonade and the 
juice of oranges are generally suitable. 
Citrate of potassium and acetate of ammo- 
7iium are the medicines most sure to be safe 
and beneficial for the same purpose ; the 
former when the bowels are natural or con- 
stipated, the latter when there is a dispo- 
sition towards diarrhoea. 

Of the secretions, those of the bowels, 
skin, and kidneys require attention in fever, 
In most cases of typhoid fever and some 
cases oi m.easles, the bowels incline to loose- 
ness from the start. When, in those dis- 
eases, they are not moved at all during the 
first day of the fever, a small dose of a mild 
purgative may be given ; in typhoid fever, a 
teaspoonful of castor oil ; in measles, a tea- 
spoonful of citrate of magnesium (solid), or 
a half-wineglassful of effervescing solution 
ofcitrate of magnesium ; or a teaspoonful of 
Rochelle salt. 

These are exceptional febrile diseases. 
In remittent (autumnal, bilious, malarial) 
fever, a good brisk purging early in the 
attack with a saline medicine, such as citrate 
of magnesium (an even tablespoonful, solid, 
or a wineglassful of the solution, repeated 
in six hours if it does not operate) or Ro- 
chelle salt (a tablespoonful), will be pretty 
sure to be useful. Typhus fever requires 
caution, in expectation of great weakness ; 
half of the above doses will be best for its 
treatment. Scarlet fever should be, as a 
rule, the occasion for a good cooling saline 
dose on the day the attack breaks out. 

Purgatives help to clear out from the 
bowels and from the blood impurities which, 
while they remain, are poisonous to the sys- 
tem. But real purgation belongs in fevers, 
as a part of the treatment, only to the early 
stage. After that, we need merely to see 
that the bowels are not constipated ; a daily 
moderate movement will sufi&ce. Some per- 
sons suppose that because a sick person 
takes only small quantities of food, he does 
not need to have his bowels open at all. 
But the waste of the substance of the body 



is going on even faster than during health, 
and the discharge from the bowels comes 
from this waste as well as from the refuse or 
excess of food. 

Fever: Dryness of 5kin. 

Dryness of the skin is a regular symptom 
of fever. The most frequent exception to it 
is in the febrile state of inflammatoiy I'heu- 
matism ; in which the skin, while hot, is 
sometimes quite moist. Generally, the 
dryer the skin, the worse; the coming of 
moisture shows the subsidence of the fever. 
The high heat and dryness are connected 
together. Reduce the temperature, and 
perspiration will break out. Therefore, the 
cold drinks and (careful) cold washing and 
sponging, spoken of as appropriate to lower 
the excessive temperature, will serve also to 
restore the secretion from the skin. Citrate 
of potassium, acetate of ammonium, and 
some other medicines favor this effect. 

Diuretics are agents which tend to in- 
crease the action of the kidneys, the flow of 
urine. They are among the more uncertain 
remedies ; they do not always act as we wish 
them to. In this they differ very much 
from purgative medicines. 

The salines already mentioned (citrate of 
potassium and acetate of ammonium) arc, 
useful as diuretics. So are cream of tartar 
and sweet spirit of nitre. The latter is very 
often given in fever, when the amount of 
urine is small. Do not forget that some- 
times, in low fevers, the bladder is full, but 
the patient cannot empty it. This must be 
examined into. If there is retention of urine, 
it must be drawn off with a catheter. 

Fever: Diet and Treatment. 

Weakness, in fever, is not quite the same 
thing early in the attack as towards its end. 
In the first place it is an oppression of the 
system ; after a while there is more or less 
exhaustion. The first is best relieved by the 
means above referred to. At that stage, 
with persons of average strength, the 
amount of food taken may be small and its 
character light. (Persons always feeble 
will need to have concentrated food from 
the beginning.) As the attack goes on, 
even towards the end of the first week usu- 
ally, and in scarlet fever and small-pox 



275 



S3 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



sooner, the system loses strength, and sup- 
port is necessary. What shall the means of 
^hat support be ? 

Liquid, strotig food in small quantities 
and often is the rule. Milk (with lime- 
water in it if the stomach be very weak) and 
beef tea are the things to stand by. Strong 
mutton broth and chicken soup (with all fat 
fully skimmed off) will do for variation. 

Supporting treatment for great debility 
has always, with physicians, included the 
use of something alcoholic, wine and whis- 
key being mostly preferred. Opinion in the 
medical profession on this subject has 
tended of late years (in the minds at least, of 
its safest leaders) towards a lessening of the 
amount of alcoholic stimulation in fevers, 
and towards resorting to it in fewer cases. 
Once it was almost a universal practice to 
give whiskey in all cases of typhoid, as well 
as of typhus, fever. Now, many cases of 
typhoid fever are found to get through well 
without it. 

On such an important matter, in every 
actual case, the judgment of a physician 
should be obtained. The safest rule in 
home management of the sick will be (unless 
in extraordinary emergencies) not to give or 
take alcohol in any form unless advised by 
a competent physician. 

Cough. 

How many different kinds and cases of 
cough there are, we have already mentioned 
when considering it among the symptoms of 
disease. It cannot be treated exactly alike 
under all these different circumstances. As 
a symptom it is unpleasant, and often weari- 
some ; and it is well to know of some do- 
mestic remedies which are safe and useful in 
many cases. 

First, a dry cough must be softened and 
loosened. The three best home remedies 
for this purpose are ipecacuanha, squills, and 
wild cherry bark. Of the syrup of ipecacu- 
anha, for this effect (not to cause vomiting) 
the dose is from a quarter to a half teaspoon- 
ful. Of syrup of squills, which does best at 
a later stage than ipecac, half a teaspoonful 
to a teaspoonful. Of syrup of wild cherry 
bark, a teaspoonful. This last may be given 
along with syrup of ipecac at first, and with 
Eyrup of squills afterward. 



276 



There is also real usefulness in the sooth- 
ing effect upon cough of licorice, and of pure 
and well-made candies; hoarhound candy 
for example. The advantage of these is 
that a little of either can be taken very often, 
so as to keep up a nearly constant influence 
of the kind desired. Although such things 
only touch the swallowing part of the throat 
(pharynx), not the wind-pipe {laiynx), yet 
the nearness and sympathy of these two sur- 
faces cause the extension of the effect from 
one to the other. Spencer's chloramine pas- 
tilles are useful in this way. 

After loosening, a wearisome cough may 
need to be quieted. This must be done 
with care, since to stop secretion and dry up 
a cough will make things worse. Opium 
and its preparations, including of course 
morphia, have the most power of this kind. 
They are often added to cough-mixtures, to 
be used after free expectoration of phlegm 
has come on. Wistar's cough lozenges, 
when made after the regular formula, are 
composed chiefly of licorice, with a little 
opium added. Syrup of lactucarium, also, 
is quieting to cough, and is a milder narcotic 
than opium. It may be used sooner and 
with less apprehension of excessive effect. 
Compound tincture of benzoin oft^n has a 
very good effect, in fifteen to twenty drop 
doses, each dose taken on a lump of sugar. 

Hemorrhage. 

What causes bleeding must always be 
the first question. If it is a symptom of a 
disease, the necessity of treating the disease 
rather than the bleeding is plain. In such 
a case, only a large and weakening hemor- 
rhage calls for special measures on its ac- 
count. This is true of the bleeding at the 
nose in the first week of typhoid fever, spit- 
ting of blood in consumption of the lungs, 
vomiting of blood in ulcer of the stomach, 
and bleeding from hemorrhoids or piles. It 
is well to state clearly that there are no reme- 
dies which are always certain to stop bleed- 
ing from any internal cavity of the body. 

Nose-bleeding. — Often this is rather 
relieving than otherwise, in full-blooded 
young people, who without it would have 
had headache. The occasion for stopping it 
comes when it is so large in amount, or con- 
tinues so long as to weaken by loss of blood. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



33 



How shall we stop it ? Tell the patient 
to avoid blowing his nose. Clottmg (coagu- 
lation) is the natural way of stoppage of all 
hemorrhages. Bathe the forehead and out- 
side of the nose and cheeks with cold water, 
or apply ice to the forehead (not too long 
•it once, but enough to cause the impression 
of decided cold) ; or, if this does not sufiSce, 
to the back of the neck. 

Put a plug of cotton well into the nostril 
from which the blood comes. If first dipped 
lightly in a strong solution of alum, it will 
be more effectual. Let the person keep 
quiet, with the head and shoulders raised. 
Holding both hands high above the head is 
said to help to stop bleeding at the nose. 

Only one in a very large number of cases 
will be really dangerous. When all the 
above measures fail, a physician will be 
needed, who will effectually plug the bleed- 
ing nostril. For this a watch-spring arrange- 
ment is sometimes used, or an elastic 
catheter. If the latter, a string (waxed 
ligature) is put through the hole at the end 
of the instrument, and that is oiled and very 
gently passed back into the nostril until it 
can be felt at the opening above the throat. 
With forceps (nippers) one end of the string 
is then seized and brought out of the mouth. 
A piece of cotton is tied upon it, and then 
the catheter and the other end of the string 
are drawn out of the nose, and the cotton 
plug is held firmly against the back of the 
nostril. If still necessary, another plug may 
be again inserted in the front of the nostril. 

Bleeding in the Mouth. 

When a tooth has been pulled, or in an 
Infant, the gums have been freely lanced, 
sometimes considerable bleeding will occur. 
If from a tooth, a plug of cotton may be 
dipped in creosote, or tincture of chloride 
ofiro?i, and pressed into the bleeding cavity 
with the end of a bodkin or darning-needle. 
Ice may be applied to too freely bleeding 
gums, or they may have put against them a 
soft rag with ahan-water or a solution of 
Uncture of chloride of iro7i. 

Spitting of Blood. 

Is it from the lungs, or from the throat, 

Y^outh , or ■'losirii- f 

.^3 k 2 



Not unfrequently, bleeding from the 
nose goes backwards, into the throat, and 
the blood, then hawked up, is naturally im- 
agined to come from the lungs, sometimes 
causing great alarm. Inquiry and examin- 
ation will make it clear whether this, or 
bleeding from the mouth, is the case. 

Ulcerated throats sometimes bleed. The 
ulcer can then be seen, in a good light, if 
the tongue is pressed down with the handle 
of a tablespoon. This sort of bleeding, 
however, is not at all common. 

When votniting occurs before blood ap- 
pears, we ascribe it to the stomach. The 
blood is then, usually, rather dark and 
thick ; not fresh- looking. 

If real bleeaing from the lungs takes 
place, the blood is coughed up (perhaps 
quite softly and lightly) ; it is, as a rule, 
bright red. Only a little may come ; some- 
times merely streaking the expectoration ; 
or it may be copious ; mouthfuls all at once. 
In this last case, it is attended by danger of 
exhaustion from the loss of blood. 

No unprofessional person should think 
of taking charge of a serious hemorrhage 
without the aid of a physician, if one can be 
had. While waiting for one, however, 
what ought to be done ? 

Put the patient upon a bed, with the 
head and shoulders comfortably raised with 
pillows. He must keep very still and not 
speak. Let a piece of ice be taken into his 
mouth every few minutes, and swallowed 
slowly. Then fasten around each arm, 
above the elbow, a shawl-strap, if such be 
at hand, or a long handkerchief, quite 
tightly ; leaving each on, however, only a 
few minutes at a time. If the blaeding does 
not stop, let them be tightened again and 
again, several times. Should this not suc- 
ceed, and the doctor has not yet arrived, 
similar straps or bandages may be applied in 
the same manner to the lower limbs, just 
below the knees. 

If blood comes from the stomach, it may 
be from ulceration, or cancer; or it may be 
hysterical (that is, connected with general 
nervous disorder), or, in exceptional cases, 
may take the place of menstruation which 
is suppressed. (^Bursting of an aneruism of 
the aorta is a possible source )f hemorrhage, 
either from the stomach or ft jm the lungs 



34 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



but the existence of such an aneurism will 
mostly have been before discovered by an 
attending physician). 

To moderate or check large bleeding 
from the stomach, as shown by free vomit- 
ing of blood, ice is the safest and most hope- 
ful of remedies. Keeping quiet, and taking 
the least possible food in the liquid state, 
are important, Boiled milk with lime- 
water will be the most suitable nourish- 
ment ; or arrow-root, tapioca, etc. In the 
absence of medical advice, no medicine had 
better be ventured upon ; unless it be swal- 
lowing very small amounts of solution of 
alum, or, once in two or three hours, a 
single drop of creosote, dissolved in two 
tablespoonfuls of water. 

Intestinal Bleeding. 

For hemorrhage from the bowels, the same 
kind of management is applicable as that 
appropriate when blood is thrown up from 
the stomach ; as just described. ♦ 

Bleeding piles ( hemorrhoids) are, of 
course, troublesome, but the bleeding, as 
such, does not nearly always require treat- 
ment. If it continues very freely, the patient 
must lie still in bed, with a piece of oil-cloth 
or rubber -cloth under the lower sheet. A 
piece of sponge or a napkin dipped in ice- 
water may be held against the fundament. 
If anything else is to be done, it ought to 
be upon a physician's advice. 

Monthly Irregularities. 

For delayed monthly courses it is desir- 
able to produce a determination of blood 
towards the lower part of the abdomen . Hot 
foot-baths, and warm hip- or sitting-baths, 
are the most effective means for this end. 
Opening the bowels rather briskly with a 
L,ady Webster's or a compound rhubarb 
pill, or Warner's cordial, or tincture of aloes 
and myrrh, will also be helpful towards it. 
Especial care must be taken that the body, 
and most of all the feet, shall not be chilled 
at such a time. 

Permanganate of potassium is a good 
promoter of regularity in menstruation. 
Two grains may be the dose, twice daily. 
If it seems to agree with the patient, it may 
be continued through a month or two, dis- 



278 



continuing at the time ot the monthly re- 
turn, when that takes place. 

For painful VLiQ.ns\xVi2iWovL{dysme7iorrhced)^ 
lying still is very important from the begin- 
ning of the attack. • Warm flannels may be 
applied to the abdomen. A hot drink is 
likely to be comfortable, such as this : Put 
into half a teacupful of hot water, a tea- 
spoonful of Warner's cordial, a teaspoonful 
of compound spirit of lavender, and twenty 
drops of spirits of camphor ; stir them well 
together just before taking it. Should relief 
not come in an hour or so, paregoric — a tea- 
spoonful at once — may be given. Few cases 
will need any stronger anodyne ; and they 
should be under the care of a physician. 

Menorrhagia\% excessive menstrual flow ; 
a variety of hemorrhage. The most import- 
ant part of its management is usually during 
the intervals, to prevent it. Near the ex- 
pected time the sufferer, who has reason to 
fear it, s-hould lie still in bed. When the 
excessive flow comes, cold wet cloths may 
be laid upon the abdomen, the rest of the 
body being kept comfortably warm. Only 
a decidedly bad case will fail to be thus 
moderated. 

Dropsy. 

For our purpose, in this place, it may be 
said that there are three classes of dropsical 
troubles : general dropsy {a?iasarca) , super- 
fiicial local dropsy {ozedema), and local in- 
ternal dropsies. After scarlet fever, the 
kind most likely to come is anasarca, gen- 
eral dropsy. From great weakness and 
thinness of the blood tlriere often comes 
oedema, or local watery swelling, of the_/^<?/. 
Heart-disease, liver-disease, or kidney-dis- 
ease will often bring on general dropsy ; but, 
not infrequently, liver-disease will be at- 
tended by abdominal dropsy almost alone. 
Chest dropsy is another local internal form : 
and water hi the head another. 

For the cure of any of these, the great 
thing is to find the cause, and remedy it, if 
possible. Dropsy is often, though of course 
not alvv^ays, one of the last results of disease, 
which itself may have continued for weeks, 
months, or years. The best hope of its 
being cured is in those cases in which there 
is not much else the matter, and when it 
has not lasted long. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



35 



For dropsy as a symptom, when it is 
right to treat that, physicians give diuretics 
snA purgatives . Of the first may be named 
cream of tartar, juniper berries, and squills. 
Cream of tartar (bitartrate of potassium) 
acts also moderately on the bowels. Another 
purgative used in this way is jalap, fre- 
quently given with cream of tartar. More 
active is what is called the drastic cathartic, 
elate?-ium ; which, even in very small dose, 
will purge severely. All these medicines, 
indeed the whole treatment of dropsy, o ^ght 
to come under the judgment of a skilful 
physician. Such an one, when unsuccess- 
ful (as may happen) in reducing dropsy by 
diuretics and purgatives, may conclude it 
best to tap the patient ; that is, to let out 
the water by introducing a small tube into 
the swollen part. This gives immense re- 
lief, sometimes permanent. In a certain 
number of instances the fluid accumulates 
again, and the operation may have to be re- 
peated. Tapping the abdomen has long 
been an approved practice ; doing the same 
for effusion in the chest, after pleurisy, has 
latterly been found suitable in a considerable 
number of instances ; and even water around 
the heart (pericardial effusion) has been so 
relieved in some cases within a few years. 

Another relieving operation sometimes 
performed for great watery swelling of the 
legs and feet is to lance the skin in a good 
many places, so as to make the water ooze 
out gradually. When this is done, the 
parts should afterwards be greased with cold 
cream or tallow, to prevent inflammation, 
which might become erysipelatous and 
troublesome. 

Prostration : Debility. 

We have seen already that there is more 
;han one kind of weakness from disease. 
There may be oppression, as in the early 
stage of almost any acute disorder ; or de- 
pression (prostration) from a great shock, 
such as a railroad accident, crushing a limb, 
or from the lowering influence of typhus or 
typhoid fever; or exhaustion, such as will 
be produced by a large hemorrhage, an at- 
tack of cholera morbus, or a severe disease 
of some length of continuance. 

For oppression, in a person of good 
constitution and strength, unloading the 



system is needed — by sweating, purging, 
and action of the kidneys. 

For depression, support is called for. 
Kxperience indicates that alcoholic stimula- 
tion is, in sudden or great prostration from 
any cause, the most effectual. It may en- 
able the system to tide over the time of 
weakness and danger, so that all will go on 
well again ; whereas, without it, the patient 
may sink and die. 

Alcoholic stimulation is very often 
abused. It is employed when there is no 
occasion for it, and when required it is fre- 
quently too great in amount. Every little 
feeling of weakness does not properly call for 
a glass of wine or whiskey ; far from it. 
Fainting is better treated by fresh air, as 
much as possible ; dashing or sprinkling 
with cold water on the face, and ammonia. 
Smelling salts (carbonate of ammonium) 
put, for a moment at a time, under the nos- 
trils, will hasten recovery from a faint. 
When swallowing is possible, twenty or 
thirty drops of the aromatic spirit of ammonia 
may be taken in a wineglassful of water. 

But when a person is almost dead from 
loss of blood, or an extensive burn, or the 
shock of a railroad accident, with white 
lips, shrunken cheeks, cold skin, and rapid, 
thready pulse, we need to stimulate with 
alcohol, but not too much. A teaspoonful 
of whiskey will be enough, in many in- 
stances, repeated in ten or fifteen minutes, 
if the patient does not show reaction. A 
tablespoonful will be a large enough dose at 
one draught in any case. More will do no 
better towards stimulation, and the after 
effect will be worse. Always, moreover, 
such stimulation must be withheld as soon 
as the depression has passed away, and then 
the less alcohol he has had put into his sys- 
tem the better. 

General Debility. 

After an acute disease with fever — as 
scarlet fever, measles, typhoid fever, etc. — 
convalescence is accompanied by more or less 
debility. But when everything goes well, 
appetite is then strong, and the losses of the 
system are made up by the appropriation of 
food. A person who was healthy before 
such an attack will commonly need no help 
from medicines to " build up " again. 
79 



36 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Running down in strength, however, 
with or without acute disease, and often 
without any fixed disorder of any great 
organ, is not uncommon, from various 
causes. Too severe, monotonous, and long- 
continued labor, out of proportion to one's 
strength ; worry, particularly when it pre- 
vents refreshing sleep ; living in a close air, 
without change and exercise ; these are 
some of the conditions in which people are 
apt to get down " below par " in strength. 

Poverty of blood {anccmid) is generally 
present in such cases. So is loss of appetite 
and digestive power ; and nervous depres- 
sion. These are the three elements of ordi- 
nary continued debility. 

Treatment for Debility. 

To meet these, we have, besides rest 
from care, change of air, and generous feed- 
ing (all of which are of the greatest import- 
ance), three sorts of tonics : blood-7-cnczverSy 
appetizei's, and nervines. Of the first class, 
referring to works on Materia Medica for 
others, the most valuable, in the generality 
of cases, are iron and cod-liver oil. To the 
' second class belong; the vegetable bitters, as 
gentian, quassia, columho, chamomile, etc. ; 
and the mineral acids, as aromatic sulphuric 
a«a' (elixir of vitroil) , and others. Under 
the third head may be named quinine as 
most largely and safely applicable to gen- 
eral debility. Physicians also use, in some 
selected cases, strychnia and phosphorus, as 
powerful nervine tonics; but they are too 
dangerous to allow in the family medicine 
chest for use without medical advice. One 
preparation, if labelled /t'w^/z, and kept out 
of the way of the children and of ignorant 
servants, may sometimes find safe use as a 
tonic both to the digestive organs and to the 
nervous system ; ii?icture of nux vomica ; 
safe in the small dose of ten drops twice or 
.jirice daily. 

Remedies for Special Diseases. 

We have very few real and certian speci- 
fics for the cure of particular diseases. The 
great boast of the medical profession is of its 
power to stop " chills and fever " and con- 
trol other kinds of malarial attacks with 
quinine, and with some other preparations 
from the same source, namely, the Penivian 



Bark. Syphilis is, undoubtedly, curable in 
the large majority of cases, timely attended 
to, by the skilful use of two remedies, mer- 
cury (various preparations) and iodide of 




njBERCULOUS LUNG, 



potassium. Itch is always conquerable by 
a sufficient application of sulphur, in oint- 
ment or otherwise. 

Scurvy is curable, without much aid 
from medicines (tonics if any) hy fresh vege- 
table food : as potatoes, onions, oranges, 
lemons, etc. Inflammatory rheumatism is 
beneficially influenced by salicylic acid and 
alkalies (potassa, soda, lithia) ; as gout has 
been long known to be by colchicum. 

Besides antidotes for actual poisons, and 
medicines which kill or drive out worms 
from the bowels, we cannot claim any other 
clear examples of special remedies for parti- 
cular diseases. It used to be said that 
iodiiie is a certain cure for goitre (enlarge- 
ment of the thyroid gland in the neck). It 
is no doubt generally serviceable in that 
affection ; but it will not always cure it. 
Quinine does not always cure ague. It 
"breaks" the chills, but in one, two, or 
three weeks they may come again ; and the 
cure then has to be finished by a month or 
two of a course of iron. 

There has not yet been discovered any 
specific remedy for scarlet fever, measles, 
whooping-cough, small-pox, typhoid or 
typhus fever, yellow fever, or cholera. All 
these diseases must be. therefore, conducted 
through the attack as safely as possible; 
meeting the symptoms as they occur, with 
the most reasonable measures we know of. 



280 



37 



PRINCIPAL MEDICINES AND OTHER REMEDIES 



For the reader's convenience, we will 
now give a brief account of the principal 
medicine in general use likely to be par- 
ticularly mentioned in the following, pages. 
As they are ahlphabetically arranged, there 
will be no difficulty in finding any one of 
them for reference. 

Acetate of Ammonium Solution. — This is 
a mild, moderately cooling medicine, very 
suitable to promote perspiration duringfever. 
It is easily made by dropping small pieces 
of Carbonate of Ammonium into good Vin- 
egar, piece after piece, until it ceases to 
bubble with effervescence. (This proceeds 
from the Carbonic Acid gas passing off, 
being displaced by the Acetic Acid of the 
Vinegar. 

Dose of this Solution, a Tablespoonful 
every two or three hours. It is preferred 
to other sweating medicines especially in 
typhoid and typhiis fevers ; lozv fevers, so- 
called. It does not act upon the bowels. 

Aconite — Tincture of the Root of the 
Monkshood or Aconite plant. A deadly 
sedative poison in any but very small doses. 
It acts mainly on the nervous system, but 
indirectly on the circulation. Some phy- 
sicians use it in many cases of infla^mnatory 
fever, as in that of pneumonia, pleuris3^ etc. 
Dose, one or two drops, in water, for a 
grown person, every two, three, or four 
hours. A bottle containing it should be 
labelled Poison. 

Aloes. — A powerful purgative medicine, 
having a particular tendency to act on the 
lower bowel. Therefore it is not a suitable 
cathartic in cases of Piles. Yet, in a very 
small, not purgative, dose, it is sometimes 
added to other medicines for the relief of 
piles. Its action on the lower bowel makes 
it more appropriate when delay of the 
femir.ine monthly flozv is treated by laxative 
medicines. The Ti7icture of Aloes and 
Myrrh (Elixir Proprietatis) has. been much 
employed for this end. Dose oi Aloes, from 
one or two to ten or more grains. Dose of 
Ti7icture of Aloes and Afyj^rh, from one to 
three or four teaspoonfuls, in water. 

Alum. — A mineral called a salt by chem- 
ists. It contains either Ammonium or Potas- 
sium with Aluminium and Suipuric acid in 

tZ - 



combination. (There is also an Iron Alum, 
in .which, likewise, Ammonium is present.) 
It is crystalline, and has a peculiar taste, 
easily recognized after making its acquaint- 
ance. Alum is not often given as a medi- 
cine for the stomach, except as an emetic in 
bad cases of croup. For that purpose, its 
dose, in powder, is half a teaspoonful, with 
the same amount of the powder, or a tea- 
spoonful of Syrup of Ipecacuanha. In 
small dose, it is an astringent ; that is, it 
tends to make the tissues which it touches 
shrink or contract together. Thus it helps 
to lessen the swelling of the mucous mem- 
brane, which is inflamed in sore throat, and 
it is much used for that, either in powder or 
in solution as a gargle. The powder may 
be blozvn into the throat through a quill, or, 
sometimes, put on the sore place with the 
end of one's finger. A gargle is made by 
dissolving a piece as large as a thumb in 
half a tumblerful of water. It is used by 
taking a mouthful of it and throwing the 
head back withriit swallowhig it, letting it 
go as far down into the throat as it can 
without being swallowed. 

Alum should not be employed in mouth- 
washes, because, when left long in contact 
with the teeth, the Sulphuric Acid in it acts 
somewhat upon their enamel. A solution 
of alum in pure water makes a good 
astringent eye-water, for inflammation of 
the eyes an even teaspoonful of alum in a 
tumblerful of water will be strong enough. 

Ammonia. — Volatile Alkali and Harts- 
horn are other names for this substance. 
When pure, it is a gas ; but it is used either 
in the form of the Solid Carbonate of Am- 
monium, or in solution in Water (^Aqua 
Ammonicz), or in Alcohol. Smelling salts 
consist usually of the Carbonate. Druggists 
keep a stronger and a weaker watery solu- 
tion of Ammonia. The medicinal form 
most used is the Aromatic Spirit of Am.- 
monia (a solution in Alcohol, with Spices). 
This is a stimulant and antacid preparation. 
Its dose is from ten to twenty-five or thirty 
drops, in water. Aqtca Ammonia; (Water 
of Ammonia) is iised to make Volatile Lini- 
ment, by mixing it with an equal quantity 
of Olive or I,ard Oil. This liniment is ? 



38 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



very warming thing to rub into the skin of 
the throat for a sore throat, as a counter- 
irritant. 

Arnica — The tindiwe of the flowers (or 
of the whole plant) is a popular application 
for bruises and sprains. It is a warming 
application, and not suitable where the skin 
is broken. Being poisonous when swal- 
lowed in large doses, it should be kept so 
labelled, and so used as to prevent mistakes 
with it. 

Arsenic — A metal whose compounds 
are poisonous. The medical form in which 
arsenic is generally prescribed by physicians 
is the solution of arsenite of potassium 
(Fowler's solution). Dose, from three to 
ten drops, twice daily : often given for 
chronic diseases of the skin. It should 
never be taken by an unprofessional person, 
without medical advice. 

Assafoetida. — A gum-resin, of very disa- 
greeable odor and taste ; a good, mild, and 
safe composing medicine for disturbed 
nerves and to induce sleep. Assafoetida 
pills, of three grains each, may be given 
now and then to hysterical people. The 
drug is also good for flatulence. Milk of 
assafoetida is a very serviceable medicine for 
babies' colic. Dose, a teaspoonful, sweetened. 

Bark, Peruvian. See quinine. 

Baths. — In treatment of disease, the 
kinds of baths most used are th^ warm and 
the hot bath. We may call it warm from 90° 
to 96° Fahr., and hot from 96° to 100°. It 
never need be hotter than this last figure. 

Warm baths are very often useful, for 
relaxing and tranquillizing the system. In 
croup, convulsions, and lockjazv, as examples, 
sueh effects are often well obtained. 

Hot Baths though less frequently called 
for, are sometimes very serviceable ; espec- 
ially in cold and low states of the system. 
Chronic rheumatism is one of the affections 
likely to be benefited by it. 

Hot Dry Air Baths (Russian bath) are 
occasionally advised by physicians, in ob- 
stinate prolonged skin affections, etc. 

Vapor or Steam Baths are occasionally 
used for the application of heat and moisture 
to the body. They are not safe beyond the 
temperature of 1 10°, or possibly, for a short 
time, 120°. Moisture conveys heat to the 
body much more rapidly than dry air at the 

28 



same temperature. A steam bath may be 
given, by the patient being stripped of 
clothing, and seated in a chair, wrapped, 
chair and all, in a blanket ; his head only 
projecting above the latter. Then vapor 
may be generated by dropping very hot 
bricks into a pail of water placed between his 
feet. As above said, care must be taken 
about the temperature ; and, on the whole, 
it will be hardly best to resort to a vapor 
bath without the advice of a physician. 

Medicated Baths. — Hot and warm springs, 
as those of Virginia, are medicated by the 
sulphurous and other contents of the waters. 
Sometimes they do much good (bathing in 
the waters) for chranic troubles of the liver, 
kidneys, etc., and rheumatic joints. 

Belladonna. — This product of the deadly 
7iightshade (atropa belladomia^ is a powerful 
narcotic or brain stimulant drug. The ex- 
tract of the leaves is most used by physicians 
as a medicine, in neuralgia, etc. Atropia, a 
very strong alkaloid principle, is obtained 
from the root. Its solution is often dropped 
into the eyes by oculists, for the examina- 
tion and treatment of affections of the eyes. 
It enlarges or dilates the pupils, giving them 
a more brilliant appearance. Ladies are 
said to take it sometimes before going into 
company, to make their eyes "brighter;" 
whence the name, from bella donna, fair 
lady . 

Dose of the solid extract, a quarter of a 
grain to a grain ; of the tincture, ten to 
fifteen drops. Solution of atropia for the 
eyes, two to four grains to a fluidounce of 
water, Neither should be used without 
medical advice. 

Benzoin. — A resinous substance, from 
the styrax, an East Indian tree. The com- 
pound tincture of Benzoin is a good medi- 
cine for bronchial cough. Dose, fifteen to 
twenty drops, on a lump of sugar, every 
three or four hours ; or at the beginning of 
a spell of coughing. The same tincture, 
applied with a camel's-hair pencil, is very 
healing to a sore nipple or a cracked lip, or 
even 2ifss7ire of the anus. 

Bismuth Subnitrate. — A soothing 
stomachic medicine. Dose, two to five 
grains. 

Blackberry Root. — Country people gen- 
erally know the astringent property of this j 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



59 




CANTHARIS YITTATA. 



but some make a mistake in supposing the 
berries to have the same ; which they do 
not. A tea made by cutting up a handful 
of the root and soaking it for two or three 
hours in boiling water (kept hot) will 
answer a good purpose in checking 
diarrhoea, in tablespoonful doses. 

Blisters. — We use mustard-plasters not 
to blister, but only strongly to warm and 
stimulate the skin. 
For raising a blister, 
cantharides is mostly 
resorted to. The old- 
est way is to spread 
the ointment of can- 
thaj'ides on a piece of 
buckskin, three o r 
four or five inches 
square ; cover this with a piece of gauze, and 
lay it on the part. This will draw a blister 
upon a grown person 
in four, five, or six 
hours ; with a child, 
in two hours or less. 
Then nip (do not re- 
move) the raised 
scarfskin with the 
point of a pair of 
scissors, and lay upon 
it a soft muslin rag thickly spread with simple 
cerate, as a healing dressing. 

Once in a while strangury (diflSculty in 
passing water) will follow the application 
of a blister, from some of the cantharides 
being absorbed into the blood, and so getting 
through the kidneys into the bladder. 
Flannel wrung out of hot water applied to 
the bladder and perineum (crotch, just be- 
tween the thighs at the pelvis) ; spirits of 
camphor, taken in twenty- drop doses ; and, 
if the difficulty lingers, a laudanum injection 
into the bowels, are remedies for strangury. 
Blue Pill, or blue mass. This is a pre- 
paration of mercury, one-third of the 
strength of calomel. It is a soft solid, 
easily made into pills. Apothecaries usually 
keep on hand three-grain blue pills. 

The best established usefulness of blue 
mass is in the relief of what is called ' ' bil- 
iousness," when there is a bitter taste in the 
mouth, especially on awaking in the morn- 
ing ; with some degree of nausea (sick feel- 
ing at the stomach), and more or less yel- 




CANTHARIS VESICATORIA. 



lowness of the tongue and of the whites of 
the eyes ; perhaps of the face or the skin 
generally ; the bowels also being consti- 
pated, or the stools slate- colored instead of 
brown or yellowish-brown, as is natural. 
One or two grains of blue pill at bedtime, 
and the same again in the morning or the 
next evening, taking in all from two to four 
grains, will do well, without any risk of 
salivation, at least in all but one case or so 
in a thousand. 

Calomel is better for a similar purpose as 
a baby's medicine. Indigestion and com- 
mencing diarrhoea in infants are often much 
helped by small doses of calomel ; powders, 
each of which contains one-twelfth of a 
grain of the medicine, with a grain or two 
of soda (sodium bicarbonate) or magnesia, 
or only sugar ; the last for taste, and to give 
substance to the small dose of the drug. 

Borax. — A very familiar article this is, 
in the nursery, for sore mouth. It is a min- 
eral astringent, milder than alum, and may 
be used more freely ; either dissolved in 
water as a wash, or in powder with sugar, 
put with the finger right on the sore spot in 
the mouth. 

Bromides : Potassium, Sodium and 
Lithium. These " bromides ' ' are nervous 
sedatives; tranquillizing an excited brain in a 
different way from opium ; having less sleep- 
compelling power than it. Bromide of potass- 
ium is largely prescribed by physicians for 
epilepsy and some less serious but obstinate 
troubles of the nervous system. Bromide 
of sodium has the same sort of effect, but 
perhaps is more agreeable to the stomach ; 
and the same is true of bromide of lithium. 
Bromide of ammonium is less often used for 
similar effects. B7'omo-caffei?ie often helps 
nervous headaches. 

Dose, of either, five to fifteen or twenty 
grains, in water. The largest doses are 
best borne when taken at bedtime. lyong 
use of large doses of either of the bromides 
sometimes causes an eruption on the skin, 
and some other unpleasant symptoms, 
called brojnism, by physicians. For any 
one who suffers greatly from the sting of a 
bee, or other insect, twenty-grain doses of 
bromide of potassium may be advised. 

Cajuput Oil. — An aromatic greenish (or, 
when old, reddish) oil, from the leaves o£ 



283 



no 



TUB FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



an East Indian tree ; one of the best reme- 
dies for flatulent colic, especially when 
' ' gouty ; ' ' and also for flying gout and 
chronic rheumatism . 

Dose, from four to ten drops, on a lump 
of sugar, followed by a drink of water. 

Calomel. — Chloride of mercury. See 
above, under blue pill. Calomel is a white 
powder. Dose, from one-twelfth of a grain, 
for an infant, to one-half grain, one grain, 
or sometimes possibly more, for an adult. 
Not to be tised as a domestic viedicine ; un- 
less, after experience, the very small calo- 
mel powders, for indigestion of infants. 

Camphor. — A most useful gum, from 
evergreen tree native to the south and east 
of Asia. Everyone knows its white or 
colorless transparency, its peculiar odor, 
and pungent and yet cooling taste. It is 
volatile ; that is, if left in the air it will 
slowly go off in vapor. Very little of it 
will dissolve in water. Campho7--water is a 
very mild preparation. Spirit of camphor, 
made with alcohol, is much stronger. 
Camphor is a composing medicine to the 
nerves ; somewhat more stimulant than 
assafcetida. In very large doses it is narcotic. 

Camplwr-water is an excellent tranquil- 
lizer for restless babies ; being also, like the 
spices, warming to the stomach, and some- 
what anodyne, it is excellent in colic. 
Spirit of Camphor is best when an anodyne 
effect is specially needed ; as in colic of 
grown people. 

Dose of Camphor-water, from a teaspoon- 
ful (an infant dose) to a tablespoonful. Of 
Spirit of Camphor, from ten to thirty drops ; 
on sugar, and stirred in water, or in a thick 
syrup, as spiced syrup of rhubarb. When 
dropped into water, the alcohol unites with 
the water and "throws down" the camphor 
in little white flakes. 

Pa7-egoric is a camphorated tincture of 
opium. 

Carbolic Acid. — This has no proper 
place as a domestic medicine. It has had 
great popularity as a disinfectant ; more 
than it deserves, in comparison with several 
other less unpleasant things. Surgeons 
often employ it in "antiseptic" dressings 
and lotions, 

Cardamon Seeds, Compound Tincture 
of. — A warming aromatic preparation, often 



added to soda, etc., for .sickness of the 
stomach. Dose, a teaspoonful, in water. 

Castor=OiI. — Expressed from the beans 
of the palma christi, a handsome plant, 
originally from Asia. It is nasty, decidedly ; 
but is a good, effective, and yet mild pur- 
gative medicine. It is the best cathartic, 
even for babies, when any irritation of the 
bozvels is present ; as in threatening of dys- 
entery, and in some cases of colic. 

Dose, from a teaspoonful to a tablespoon- 
ful. The best way to give it is to stir it 
well with twice the quantity of spiced syrup 
of rhubarb. So mixed, I have had patients 
to take it without finding out what it was. 

Catechu. — An extract from the wood of 
an oriental tree. It is astringent, and is 
very useful in diarrhoea. Ti?icture of catechu 
is the best preparation. Dose, half a tea- 
spoonful to a teaspoonful, in water. An 
excellent medicine to check troublesome 
dianhoea consists of equal parts of tincture 
of catechu and paregoric ; of this mixture, 
the dose is a teaspoonful, repeated according 
to the urgency of the case. 

Cerate. — This word means something 
made with wax. Simple cerate is made of 
spermaceti, white wax, and oil of almonds. 
It is a very soothing and healing application 
to sore places of any kind, as after a blister, 
etc. It is harder than cold cream (ointment 
of rose water), and this is sometimes a de- 
cided advantage. 

Chalk Mixture. — A convenient medicine 
for common diarrhoea, made of prepared 
chalk, gum-arabic, glycerine, and cinnamon 
water. Dose, a tablespoonful for a grown 
person. Most frequently something is added 
to make it more " binding" or astringent, 
as catechu, paregoric, etc. 

Chamomile. — This is a plant with bitter 
and aromatic flowers. Of these a tea is 
made with boiling water. It may be taken, 
half a pint daily, as a simple appetizer and 
tonic in weak digestion or general want of 
strength. It is not, however, one of the 
strongest tonics. 

Charcoal. — Powdered charcoal is a good 
' ' sweetener " of a stomach oppressed with 
flatulence from indigestion. Dose, half a 
teaspoonful to a teaspoonful. It is often 
given with an equal quantity of magnesia. 



284 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



4t 



Very finely powdered charcoal is also a 
useful ingredient in tooth-powders ; on ac- 
count of its cleansing action. 

Chloral {cholral hydrate^. — One of the 
medicines that promote sleep. It is less 
powerful than opium, although a very large 
amount of it taken will poison fatally. It is 
a white crystalline substance, of a pungent 
taste and color. 

Dose, from ten to thirty grains for an 
adult ; for a child, one grain for each year 
of its age. It should be taken or given only 
as prescribed by a physician ; and when so 
advised, left off as soon as his judgment will 
allow. The same sort of danger attends its 
use as does that of opium, of forming a chlo- 
ral habit, depending upon it for sleep, and 
requiring larger and larger doses, with at 
last great injury to the health. 

Chlorate of Potassium (chlorate of 
pota«h, commonly called). — A favorite 
medicine with physicians and others, for 
sore mouth and so}'e throat. It often does 
more good to sore mouths, in babies espec- 
ially, than anything else. But it must not 
be swallowed without limitation. While 
safe in doses of a few grains, half-ounce 
doses of it are dangerous ; sometimes even 
producing death. 

Dose, for a grown person, from ten to 
twenty grains ; for a child, three or four 
years old, five grains ; dissolved in water. 
Its solution also makes a very good gargle 
for sore throat. 

Chloroforin The most prompt and 

powerful, but also least safe, of the articles 
used by surgeons as anaesthetics ; that is, for 
patients to breathe before and during opera- 
dons, in order to prevent them from suffer- 
ing pain. It may be taken into the stomach 
in larger quantity than by the lungs, with- 
out danger. In flatulent colic, it is often 
very relieving ; but no more so than cam- 
,phor and cuajuput, as well as opium. Dose, 
)by the mouth, ten to forty or fifty drops ; in 
a large draught of water, as it is very pun- 
gent. A teaspoonful holds more than 200 
drops of chloroform. 

I have given it to a number of patients 
in teaspoonful doses, without any bad effect ; 
only sleepiness, like that produced by opi- 
ates. A chloroform linim,ent may be safely 



used as an outward application for rheu- 
matic or neuralgic pains. 

Cinnamon Water. — Made from the aro- 
matic bark of the cinnamon tree of the 
East. It is a pleasant spicy solution, slightly 
astringent ; good with other things in mix- 
tures for diarrhoea. Dose, for a child, a 
teaspoonful. 

Citrate of flagnesium. — Commonly 
taken in effervescent solution. It is about 
the least disagreeable of all purgative medi- 
cines. Apothecaries mostly keep it already 
dissolved, in tightly corked and wired bot- 
tles. More convenient for keeping in a 
family is the solid granular citrate of mag- 
nesium i which is to be dissolved when 
taken . Dose, of the bottled solution, a wine- 
glassful (more, or less, according to the 
amount of purging needed). Of the granu- 
lar citrate, from a teaspoonful to a table- 
spoonful. In the latter dose, it is quite an 
active cathartic ; although not so rapid in its 
operation as some other medicines ; and all 
persons are not alike susceptible to its 
action . 

Citrate of Potassium. — I^ike the citrate 
just mentioned, this has for one ingredient 
citric acid, obtained from lemon or lime- 
juice. This is neutralized by potassium (an 
alkaline metal) as it may be also by mag- 
nesium ; in each case making what chemists 
call salt. 

Citrate of potassium acts very slightly, 
if at all, on the bowels. It is used in solu- 
tion to cool the system and promote secre- 
tion from the skin and kidneys in fever. 
One way of taking it is in neutral mixture 
(one drachm of this citrate in four fluid- 
ounces of water) ; of which the dose is a 
tablespoonful every two or three hours. 
Another way is in effervescent solution. 
(See effervescing draught.) 

Cloves, Oil of. — A strong, warming 
aromatic, from flower-buds of the caryoph^d- 
lus aromaticus of the East Indies. A hot 
tea is sometimes made of cloves, to be given 
in cholera-morbus. 

If the oil should be taken, for colic, its 
dose would be not more than a drop or two, 
on a lump of sugar, followed by a drink of 
cold water. The tea may be made by pour- 
ing a teacupful of boiling water on half a 
teaspoonful of cloves, covering and leaving 
85 



4a 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



it to stand for a few minutes. Dose, a des- 
sertspoonful (two teaspoonfuls, or half a 
tablespoonful) . 

Oil of cloves is a good remedy for tooth- 
ache in a hollow tooth. Wet a pledget of 
cotton well with it, and push it into the 
cavity of the tooth with the end of a bodkin 
or knitting-needle. 

Cocoa Butter. — Cocoa butter is a good 
soothing application for bruises of any part 
of the body. It is well always to have it in 
the house. 

Cod-Liver Oil. — Obtained, as its name 
indicates, from the livers of codfish. It is 
very nourishing and fattening to wasted and 
wasting bodies, sometimes checking the 
progress even of pulmonary consumption. 
Its taste is quite disagreeable. Dose, from 
a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful (the latter 
best) thrice daily, for a grown person. 
Many ways have been tried to make it less 
unpleasant to take ; following it with strong 
mint-drops, mixing it in coffee, rinsing the 
mouth first with brandy or whiskey, pour- 
ing it into the froth of ale, etc. I doubt 
whether any way (unless it is put up in 
f elaiifie capsides, is better than to salt and 
pepper \\., and then bolt it down ; afterwards 
rinsing the mouth with tincture of myrrh 
and water. Children generally do not mind 
taking it, unless their fears have been 
aroused by talking about it. 

Colchicum. — A plant whose root and 
seeds are both used medicinally. The wine 
vf the 7'oot is the best preparation. In large 
dose it acts on the bowels ; sometimes irri- 
tating the stomach also. It is a diuretic, 
and influences the nervous system in a way 
not very well defined. It was formerly the 
favorite medicine in goiii ; and probably 
does as much as any medi ine towards cur- 
ing or mitigating gouty attacks. Dose of 
the wine of the root of colchicum, ten or 
'hirty drops, in water. 

Cold Cream. — This is the iinguejituvt 
aqnoe rosce (ointment of rose-water) of the 
apothecaries. It is a soft, easily melted, 
and very soothing application for sore 
places, chapped hands or lips, etc It be- 
comes rancid when long kept exposed to 
the air. 

Collodion. — This is a somtion of gun- 
!octon in ether. When it is painted upon 



any surface the ether evaporates, leaviug a 

thin cottony film. Flexible collodion, made 
a little differently, is less apt to shrink to 
gether in drying. It is a convenient article 
to cover a part whose skin is broken OJ 
ulcerated, as sore nipples, cracked lips, etc. 

Col urn bo. — {Cahwtba, root of an African 
plant) is one of the simple vegetable bitters 
Like the rest of its class, it is a tonic to the 
stomach. It is given sometimes for dys- 
pepsia- 
Cream of Tartar (Bitartrate of Potas- 
sium. — This is a cooling, mild purgative 
salt, which also increases the flow of urine 
(diuretic). It is very often given in dropsy. 
Dose, one or two teaspoonfuls, stirred in 
water. Very little of it will dissolve. 

Creosote. — A product of tar. A hot- 
tasting, sooty-smelling liquid ; poisonous il 
swallowed in moderately large quantity ; 
burning the mouth or skin which it touches. 




DIGITALIS PURPUREA. 



Physicians advise it in one-drop doses foi 
sick stomach, ulcer of the stomach, etc. 

In domestic practice it should be on hand 
as the most effective remedy for tooihaclie in 
a hollow tooth The end of a bodkin or 
knitting-needle should be wrapped around 
with a little piece of cotton, and this be 
dipped into creosote. Then, carefully, the 
cotton should be pressed into the hollow ol 
\he aching tooth. (It won't hurt, as ic at 



286 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



43 



once kills the sensibility of the exposed 
nerve-end in the tooth.) If any spills over 
and burns the gums or lips, rinse at once 
with cold water. Creosote, so used, does 
no harm to the teeth. 

Digitalis. — Foxglove is the common 
name of the pretty plant whose leaves fur- 
nish this medicine. The titidure is most 
used. Physicians give it often when the 
action of the heart is too rapid, and perhaps 
irregular. It has also been given in large 
doses in deliritim tremens. Its common dose 
is ten drops, twice or thrice a day. Being 
diuretic, it is sometimes prescribed in 
dropsy. Its very powerful active principle 
is digitalin. Of this, if taken as a medi- 
cine, the dose is one-fiftieth of a grain. 

Dover's Powder. — Made oi ipecacuanha , 
opiu?n, and a cooling salt (sulphate of potas- 
sium, or some similar compound), this 
medicine is composing and diaphoretic. 
Some persons find it agree with them at the 
beginning of a severe cold, taking it just 
before going to bed, after a warm mustard 
foot-bath. Dose, ten grains ; containing 
one grain of opium and one grain of ipeca- 
cuanha. As this is a full regular dose of 
opium, it needs to be slept, as well as 
sweated, off. Better not take Dover's pow- 
der without the advice of a physician ; at 
least the first time. 

Effervescing Draught. — This is a cool- 
ing medicine for fever ; the carbolic acid gas 
in it also makes it acceptable to the stomach. 
It is composed on the following recipe : 

Dissolve two drachms and a half of bi- 
carbonate of potassium in four fluidounces 
of water. To make a draught, pour out a 
tablespoonful of this solution, and add to it 
a tablespoonful of water. Then pour into 
these a tablespoonful of fresh lemon-juice. 
It will effervesce, and should be drunk at 
once. If lemon-juice cannot be had, an 
apothecary may furnish instead a solution 
containing two drachms of citric acid in four 
fluidounces of water. A tablespoonful of 
this, with one of water, may take the place 
of lemon-juice. 

Electricity. — Physicians often advise (or 
themselves personally apply) different forms 
of electricity for the treatment especially of 
paralysis : also, for neuralgia, chronic rheu- 
matism ^ old sprains^ suppressed menstruation. 



287 



lead colic, and many other affections. Pow- 
erful currents or shocks are frequently used 
to revive persons almost dead from drown- 
itig, suffocation, or nai^cotic poisoning. 

Elixir of Vitriol. — Aromatic sulphuric 
acid is another name for this, which is often 
prescribed as an appetizer ; sometimes also 
for diarrhoea, and occasionally for hemor- 
rhages. Dose, ten to fifteen drops, in water ; 
best taken through a glass tube, to prevent 
its touching the teeth ; also, for the same 
reason, washing the mouth out well with 
water after it. 

Elixir Proprietatis (^Elixir Pro.) — This 
is an old name for tincture of aloes and 
myrrh ; which has a popular reputation as 
a medicine to bring on the monthly courses 
when delayed or suppressed. Dose, a tea- 
spoonful, in water, twice daily. 

Emetics. — Articles which cause vomit- 
ing. The most important occasion for their 
use is when poison is known to have been 
swallowed. Then the quicker and the more 
thoroughly the stomach is emptied, the 
better. 

Handy emetics in every house are mus- 
tard, a teaspoonful, or salt, a tablespoonful, 
in a teacupful of warm, not hot, water. 
Let it all be swallowed at once ; and follow 
it in ten minutes with another teacupful of 
warm water, if it has not in that time taken 
effect. 

Among emetic medicines, ipecacuanha 
is the mildest and safest, and it is usually 
active enough. In bad cases of croup, with 
formation of membrane in the throat, alum 
may be added to it. Of powdered ipecac, a 
teaspoonful will usually produce vomiting ; 
of the syrup, a teaspoonful, perhaps needing 
to be repeated ; of the fluid extract, half a 
teaspoonful. 

Tartar emetic (tartrate of antimony and 
potassium) is too severe and prostrating an 
emetic for use, at least as a domestic medi- 
cine. There are other mineral emetics (sul- 
phate of zinc, sulphate of copper, etc.) 
which ought never to be used except under 
medical advice. 

Epsom Salts. — Sulphate 0/ Magnesium, 
A very unpleasant medicine to the taste ; an 
active, cooling cathartic. It ^s (its nastmess 
apart) useful as a purgative in- some inflam- 
matory affections of stt-ong people ; fo' 



44 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



delicate patients, milder medicines are better. 
Dose, from a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, 
dissolved in water. 

Ergot: Spurred Rye. — A growth on 
grains of diseased rye plants. When taken 
into the stomach, it has a tendency to pro- 
mote contraction of the womb and of the 
blood-vessels. On account of the first of 
these effects, it is given after child-birth, to 
aid in the expulsion of the place)iia (after- 
birth), and to check hemorrhage. Its caus- 
ing contraction of the blood-vessels is a 
reason for its being prescribed for various 
hemorrhages, and also in chronic inflamma- 
tions : especially of the spinal marrow. The 
wine of ergot is the preparation most em- 
ployed. Dose, of it or of the fluid extract, 
from half a teaspoonful to two teaspoonfuls, 
in water. 

Eucalyptus. — From the leaves of this 
Australian tref^ a tincture is made, as well as 
a solid extract, and the essential oil, enca- 
lyptol. Lozenges of this drug are service- 
able as a warming expectorant, in bronchial 
catarrh. Eucalyptus is also useful in 
chronic irritability of the bladder. Dose of 
the tincture, a teaspoonful; extract, one to 
ten grains ; of eucalyptol, ten to twenty 
drops, in capsules or a mixture. 

FenneUSeed. — A very mild aromatic ; 
sometimes made into a tea for babies' colic ; 
more often added to scnjia tea, or fluid ex- 
tract of senna, to keep the purgative medi- 
cine from griping the bowels. 

Flaxseed. — This makes a good soothing 
drink, flaxseed tea, for sore throat. Pour 
half a pint of boiling water upon a table- 
spoonful of whole flaxseed, and stir it up for 
a few minutes. Then let it stand covered 
for a few minutes more ; but do not put it 
on the fire to boil, as that would bring out 
the oil (I'.nseed oil), which is not good to 
drink. What is wanted in the tea is only 
the mucilage of the seeds. L,emon-juice 
and sugar added will make flaxseed tea 
more agreeable. 

Flaxseed vieal makes a good warm and 
soft poultice. Mix a sufficient portion of 
the meal with hot water, into a mushy mass. 
Spread this with a tablespoon on a piece of 
thin flannel or old muslin ; then double in 
half an inch of the edge all around, to keep 
the poultice from oozing out. The best 



288 



way to have a poultice warm when put on, 
is to spread it on a hot plate, close by the 
person to whom it is to be applied. When 
it is on, cover it at once with a piece of oiled 
silk, oiled paper, or thin rubber cloth, to 
keep the moisture in. Without this it will 
dry up very soon. 

A very little sweet oil or fresh lard put 
over the surface of a poultice before apply- 
ing it will make it more soothing and more 
easily removed. For the latter purpose a 
piece of tarletan or gauze may be laid over 
it before it is applied. When pain in the 
part is severe, a teaspoonful or two of laud- 
anum may be poured over the poultice be- 
fore putting it on. 

Fly = Blister. — A plaster of the ointment 
of Spanish flies (cantharides), applied to 
draw a blister upon some part of the sur- 
face of the body. Such a remedy is only re- 
quired for a rather severe case of internal 
inflammation, or for that of an eye or an 
ear ; in either instance, not during the first 
day or two of the attack. In serious in- 
flammation of the brain, a blister to the back 
of the neck, or even over a large part of the 
shaven scalp, is sometimes one of the best 
of remedies. 

A blister is usually made by spreading a 
piece of buckskin, three or four inches 
square, with cantharides ointment, covering 
this with a piece of thin gauze, and laying it 
upon the part. After from two to five or 
six hours (according to age and delicacy of 
the skin) the skin will feel very sore, and on 
taking the plaster off, the outer skin will be 
found to be raised in a blister. This may be 
tapped with the points of a pair of scissors, 
and the part may then be covered with a 
rag spread thickly with simple cerate. It 
will heal in a few daj'^s. 

For inflamed eyes, the back of the neck is 
the best place for a blister ; for severe in- 
flammation of an QSiT,just behind that ear j 
the plaster being cut to fit there. 

Gentian. — A flowering plant, wnose root 
is used in medicine. Its extract is made 
into tonic pills (compound gentian pills) for 
indigestion, and its compound tincture is one 
of the best tonic preparations given for 
weakness of the stomach. Gentian is a 
pure and simple bitter stomachic tonic. 
Dose of the compound tincture, a tea* 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



45 



spoonful, in a little water. As an appetizer 
it is best taken just before each meal. If 
given on account of slowness and discom- 
fort in digesting food, shortly after the meal 
will be the best time for it. 

Compound Qentian Pills, have in each 
jjiil one grain of extract of gentian, one 
grain ofrhubarb, one quarter ofa grain of blue 
mass, and a quarter of a drop of oil of cloves. 

Qeranium. — This plant has an astring- 
ent root, of which a tea may be made by 
boiling an ounce (about two tablespoonfuls) 
in a pint and a half of water down to a pint. 
Of this the dose is from a tablespoonful to a 
wineglassful, given as a country remedy for 
diarrhoea . 

Qinger. — A fine spice for culinary as 
well as medicinal use. Jamaica ginger is 
the most used with us. Essence of ginger is 
a very good medicine to have in the house. 
It is a warming stimulant to the stomach, 
and aids greatly in relief of ordinary 
flatulent colic. Dose ofa strong preparation 
of it (as Brown's essence of Jamaica ginger), 
ten to thirty drops, in water. It may also 
be applied outside, over the stomach and 
bowels ; wetting a piece of thin flannel well 
with it, laying it on, and covering it with 
oiled silk to prevent too quick evaporation. 

Ginger tea is an old favorite stomach- 
warmer. A tablespoonful or two of the 
bruised root may have a pint of boiling 
water poured on it, then leaving it to stand 
covered for an hour or so. We don't boil 
aromatic \.&3& or other preparations, because 
that would drive off their volatile oils, which 
are their active principles. Of ginger tea, 
the dose is one or two tablespoonfuls at a 
time. 

Glycerine. — A sweet, transparent liquid, 
obtained from fatty substances. Only pure 
glycerine (Bower's or Price's) should be 
used. Its principal employment is as an 
external application ; to chapped hands, 
ears, lips, etc. To a very delicate skin it 
is, when pure, somewhat irritating. Add- 
ing the same amount of rose-water makes a 
very nice preparation. Glycerine and borax 
mixed make a good paste to put upon sores 
in the mouth. 

In teaspoouful doses, glycerine is gently 
laxative to the bowels. It Is given some- 
times for this purpose to children. 



289 



Glycerine is antiseptic ; that is, it tends 
to keep dead animal matter (meats, etc.) 
from putrefaction ; and to ward off the 
effects of decay-poison upon or within sur- 
faces of the body. It is therefore a good 
ingredient in washes for the parts involved 
after child birth. 

Glycerine with tanyiin makes a very good 
astringent lotion for frosted feet, also for 
enlarged tonsils, sore nipples, running from 
the ears, and fissure of the arms. For the 
glycerole of tannin, rub together one ounce 
of tannin (tannic acid) and four fluidounces 
of glycerine, in a mortar; heat this mixture 
gently (best in a porcelain dish) until a per- 
fect solution is made. 

Qum=Arabic. — A soothing (not nourish- 
ing) material for a drink, in cases of irrita- 
tion of the throat, or cough. It is simply 
dissolved in water, a tablespoonful to a half 
pint. Some persons like to chew and dis- 
solve the gum in the mouth for the same 
purpose, instead of licorice or candy. 

Hamamelis Virginiana is the witch 
hazel ; principal ingredient in Pond's Ex- 
tract. Tincture of Hamamelis is much used 
by some physicians in England for spitti7ig 
blood ; if the blood comes from the stomach, 
one drop of the tincture in water, every ten 
or fifteen minutes at first ; after a few doses, 
at longer intervals until relief is afforded. 
If it be hemorrhage from the lu7igs, the dose 
of the same tincture may be one drop e/ery 
hour or two . Larger doses will cause throb- 
bing headache with some persons. It is 
also given for bleeding from the bowels or 
from piles. 

Hoffmann's Anodyne. — A strong warm- 
ing stimulant to the nervous system, 
with some anodyne or pain-relieving power. 
It is useful in attacks of gout in the stomach 
or heart, palpitation from or with weak- 
ness, angina pectoris (which see, here- 
after), asthma, etc. Dose, a teaspoonful, in 
water. 

Hops.- A Hop-pillow is sometimes used 
for sleeplessness. To prepare it, fill a small 
pillow-case with hops, which have been 
sprinkled with alcohol to bring out the 
active principle. 

Tincture of Hops, dose a teaspoonful, is 
a mild hypnotic or sleep -producer. Tinc- 
ture of lupulin (the active principle of hops) 



46 



THE FAMIL V DOCTOR 



has more power of the same kind ; but both 
are far weaker in this action than opium or 
chloral and their preparations. 

Hot Water. — Hot water, as a means of 
conveying heat to the interior of the body, 
is a stimulant to the stomach, to the great 
nerve centres back of the stomach, and to the 
general blood-circulation. Hence the efficacy 
of drinking a goblet of hot water at regular 
intervals, as preceding each meal. Like 
rubbiyig, mustard-plasters , or other stimu- 
lants applied to the outside oi the body, such 
internal excitation may make a powerful 
and often serviceable alternative impression. 

Hot water is now much used by surgeons 
and obstetricians for the arrest of bleeding, 
from injured surfaces, from the womb after 
labor, etc. For this purpose, it should 
have a temperature of about 120° Fahr. 

Hunyadi Janos Water. — A laxative 
(mildly purgative) mineral water, sold in 
bottles. Dose, a wineglassful. 

Huxham's Tincture of Peruvian Bark. — 
A good tonic in feeble conditions of the 
body, as in slow convalescence from an ill- 
ness, running down with work in summer 
time, etc. Dose, a teaspoonful, three times 
a day, in water ; best, a short time before 
each meal. 

Hydrochlorate of Cocaine. — A prepar- 
ation of the active principle of the leaves of 
the South American erythroxylon coca. It 
has been found, when applied (a few drops 
of a four per cent, solution in water) to the 
eyeball, throat, etc., to render the part in- 
sensible to pain ; so as to greatly facilitate 
some surgical operations. 

Hyoscyamus. — From the leaves of this 
plant (henbane) are made a solid extract, a 
fluid extract, and a tincture. 

Hyoscyamus is an anodyne ; a good deal 
like opium in its effects on the system, but 
weaker ; and, instead of constipating, tend- 
ing to act gently on the bowels. Of the ex- 
tract (solid), the dose is two or three grains. 
Of the fluid extract, from two to ten or 
fifteen drops. This last is a very good 
quieting medicine for the violent coughing 
spells of severe whooping-cough. 

Hypophosphites. — Compounds contain- 
ing phosphorus, in a peculiar state of com- 
bination with other medical substances. 
Much used as an effective tonic, in low 



290 



states of the system, is the preparation 
called Fellows'' Hypophosphites. Dose, a 
teaspoonful, in water, after each meal. 

Ingluvin.— An extractive obtained from 
the gizzard of the common fowl, and, like 
pepsin, used as a tonic to the digestive or- 
gans. Some physicans report it to be very 
effectual in relieving vomiting ; especially 
the "morning sickness" of pregnancy. 
Dose, from three to ten grains. 

Inhalation. — This is breathing in vapoi 
of some kind ; which is considerably em^ 
ployed in the treatment of diseases, espec- 
ially of the throat and lungs ; as well as (by 
the use of ether, chloroform, and nitrous 
oxide) , to prevent pain during surgical or 
dental operations. 

Smoking is a simple method of inhala- 
tion, acting most powerfully when long 
pipes (narghileh, chibouk) are used, re- 
quiring chest-breathing to draw the smoke 
through the pipe. Chinese opium-smokers, 

however, 
Fig. 189. actually in- 

hale the va- 
por o f t h e 
narcotic into 
their lungs. 
Pure steam 
i s soothing 
to an irrita- 
t e d throat. 
It may be 
inhaled b y 
placing a 
towel, or a 
paper fun- 
nel, over a 
kettle which 
is kept boil- 
ing , and 
breathing 
the vapor 

which 
emerges 
from the 
spout. A simple inhaler may be made of a 
wide-mouthed bottle or jar, through whose 
cork two glass tubes are passed, one straight, 
the other bent in the middle. The liquid tc 
be inhaled from should not more than half fill 
the bottle. The straight tube should reach 
down a little below the surface of the liquid . 




CROUP-KETTLE. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



49 



the end of the bent one should stop an Inch 
or so above it. Thus, when the patient 
draws a breath from the latter, the air which 
he receives has to pass through the medi- 
cated liquid. Tar, creosote, iodine, hops, 
laudanum, etc., may be thus inhaled. A 
volatile material, like ammonia or nitrite of 
amy I may be inhaled directly from a bottle, 
small or large. The former of these is a po- 
tent stimulant in cases of fainting ; the latter 
(nitrite of amyl), often gives relief in attacks 
of angina pectoris. 

Instead of vapor, y?^z^ powders are some- 
times blown into the throat. For sore 
throat in children, alujn powder may be 
thus blown in with a glass tube or a long 
quill ; or with one of the powder-squirts 
sold by apothecaries for blowing borax, etc., 
into cracks to destroy insects. 

Atomization is the introduction of a 
very fine spray of liquid into the throat and 
air passages. Such a spray is made by the 
odorators which are used to spread cologne 
or other perfumes in the air. Instruments 
are made for atomizing in cases of irritated 
throat, with which solutions oi ipecac, chlo- 
ride of ammonium, etc., can be applied. 

A cigarette for medicinal inhalation may 
be made by the use of a glass tube, six or 
eight inches long. Near one end of the 
tube put in a piece of fine soft sponge. 
Drop into the tube, from the other end, the 
material to be inhaled ; tar, creosote, tinc- 
ture of iodine, gum camphor, etc. Then in- 
sert a second piece of sponge near the upper 
end of the tube ; through this the patient is 
to breathe for the inhalation. Cotton or 
tissue-paper will do instead of sponge for the 
purpose. 

Injections {enema, e7iemata'). — These are 
used for various purposes. Most commonly, 
into the bowels , to empty the lower bowel , 
when this is considered more prompt and 
convenient than medicine by the mouth. 
The old-fashioned way was with a large 
syringe, holding about a pint. Now, gum- 
elastic ball-and-tube arrangements are em- 
ployed, which one can use himself. Only 
common sense is necessary for the introduc- 
tion of the oiled end of the tube of either 
kind ; and gradual moderate force to cause 
the material to enter. It should then be 
kept by the patient for five or ten minutes, 

29 



for an effectual operation. Smaller syringes, 
of course, half or quarter pints, are suitable 
for children . For a child, warm water alone 




ENEMA SYRINGE, 



will sometimes suffice. A common mixture 
for opening injections is made by mixing 
well together a pint (nearly) of soapsuds 
(castile soap, at least for delicate persons), 
a tablespoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of 
molasses, and a tablespoonful of oil, either 
sweet or castor oil, according to the case. 

Injections are used sometimes to relieve 
pain, or to check obstinate diarrhcea. Of 
the former, the most extreme kind of colic, 
passing a gravel-stone from the kidney to the 
bladder, or of a gall-stone through the gall- 
duct, or strangury , or threatened abortion 
(miscarriage during pregnancy) are exam- 
ples. In dysentery, as well as in diarrhoea, 
such injections may be called for ; laudanum 
being most frequently (in all the above- 
mentioned cases) so employed . 

For a grown person, the smallest amount 
likely to do good in such a way is thirty or 
forty drops of laudanum. It is best to mix 
it, for injection, with a small amount of 
starch (prepared as for the laundry, only 
thin enough to pass through a syringe) , and 
then to use a small syringe — holding from 
half an ounce to two ounces only. The ob- 
ject here is to have the material injected to 
remain in the bowel, as long as it will ; so 
that the anodyne (laudanum) may have time 
to take effect. Sometimes great suffering 
will justify sixty-drop injections of laudanum, 



48 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



or even more ; but such had better be 
used only under the advice of a physician. 
Other medicines also are occasionally pre- 
senced for administration in the same way. 
Now and then four- ounce enemata oi Jiax- 
seed tea are employed in dysentery. 

Nourishing enemata are often resorted 
to, when, for various reasons, food cannot 
be taken by the mouth. Half or a quarter of 
a pint will be enough at a time for this pur- 
pose ; as it is important for it to remain and 
be absorbed. Beef- tea, milk, or raw eggs 
beaten up with milk, will be the best ma- 
terials. Sometimes pure fresh beefs blood 
is so used. An example of a nourishing in- 
jection may be the following : 

To five ounces of finely scraped meat, 
and five and a half ounces of finely chopped 
sweetbread freed from fat, add three or four 
fluidounces of lukewarm water. Stir to- 
gether into a pulp. It will be well to wash 
out the lower bowel with an injection of 
warm water, about an hour before intro- 
ducing a nourishing enema. 

It may be mentioned, in view of a pos- 
sible emergency in the absence of a phy- 
sician, that the instrument used for hypo- 
dermic injection is a small glass syringe 
made for the purpose, ending in a tube of 
steel or silver to puncture the skin and in- 
troduce the liquid. Having drawn into the 
syringe the amount to be used, the skin of 
the part selected (an arm, the back, abdo- 
men, a thigh, or the calf of one of the legs) 
is drawn up with the forefinger and thumb 
of the left hand. With the right hand, the 
point of the tube (after being oiled) is pushed 
almost horizontally through the skin, and 
then the fluid is rather slowly pressed out of 
the syringe. The latter is to be withdrawn 
without twisting it ; all must be done so as 
to cause as little irritation as possible. 
From one-third to one-half of the dose by 
the mouth is the quantity of any drug em- 
ployed in this way. Anodyne and stimulant 
medicines are, more than any others, used 
hypodermically. Sometimes the habit of 
taking hypodermic injections of morphia is 
acquired, and is as hard to break as smoking 
opium or laudanum drinking. 

Iodine. — L2igoV s iodine solution , the tinc- 
ture of iodine, and iodide of potassium, all 
have medical uses ; but not, as a rule, in 



292 



domestic practice. We may except, per- 
haps, the outward application of tincture of 
iodine, which may be^<2/«/d'rtf upon the chest 
(with a large camel 's-hair pencil) for a con- 
tinual cough (chronic bronchitis), or may 
be used as a counter-irritant in several other 
kinds of cases. 

Physicians prescribe iodine in LugoV s 
solutio7i as an alternative in scrofula and in 
goitre (which see hereafter). Dose, ten 
drops, twice or thirce daily, in water. 
Iodide of potassium is a very important 
medicine in a number of diseases ; most 
particularly and certainly useful in consti- 
tutional syphilis, and especially of all in 
syphilitic rheumatism; also, in anuerism of 
the aorta. Dose, from five to twenty grains, 
dissolved in water, thrice dail5^ 

Iodoform. — A powerful drug, kept in 
the apothecary shops in the form of a pow- 
der. Sometimes prescribed as an internal 
medicine in scrofula, ulcer of the stomach, 
etc., in one-grain doses ; but it is much 
more often used as an outward application. 
It is very healing to fo7il ulcers, woicnds not 
doing well, syphilitic sores, etc. ; being anti- 
septic ; that is, corrective and preventive of 
decay and putrefaction. While, however, 
a little of the powder of iodoform may be 
safely sprinkled now and then over a foul 
sore, to promote its cleansing and healing, 
it is not safe to use it without limit ; as a 
large amount of it absorbed may be even 
poisonous. A bottle or box of it ought, 
when kept, to be labelled poison. 

Ipecacuanha. — This is an active but mild 
emetic in large dose. In smaller quantities, 
it is an excellent loosener of cough (expec- 
torant), and also a promoter of perspiration 
(diaphoretic) . It is one of the best of reme- 
dies in dysentry, in a way not exactly ex- 
plained. Used in powder (chiefly as an 
emetic, except when made into pills), syrup 
and wine. The syrup of ipecac, ought to be 
in every family medicine chest. It is the 
best first medicine in croup and in bronchitis 
(a heavy cold on the chest, with cough at 
first dry, and needing to be loosened). 
Also, it will answer as an emetic. Dose^ to 
cause vomiting, a teaspoonful, repeated in 
ten or fifteen minutes if it does not take 
eSect. As a cough-loosener (expectorant), 
five to ten drops for an infant, a quarter to 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



49 



a half teaspoonful lor a grown person. 
While moving about, a quarter teaspoonful 
will usually be enough ; half a teaspoonful 
will not often sicken the stomach if taken 
lying down, or just before going to bed. 
'Wi^wine of ipecac, is very similar in effect 
to the syrup, but is rather stronger ; and 
the form of syrup has some advantage for 
use as an expectorant medicine. 

Iron. — There is iron in the blood of 
every man, woman, and child. Whether 
we eve r have too much of it is not certain ;. 
but, without doubt, many thin, pale, and 
weak people have too little of it. The con- 
dition C)i poverty of blood \sz2Xi&d^, medically, 
''anosmia.'" Several preparations of iron 
are used. The strongest, and also the most 
,-convenient to keep and use, is the tmcture 
of the chloidde of iron. Dose, ten to thirty 
drops, in water. The only objection to it is 
that it has a disposition to stain the teeth 
brown or yellow. This may be prevented 
by taking it through a tube of glass, or of 
two quills put together. All druggists keep 
glass tubes for such "purposes. The tincture 
of chloride of iron is somewhat astringent ; 
and therefore is useful in hemorrhages. 

Syrup of iodine of i?'on unites the prop- 
erties and influences of iron and iodine. It 
is, therefore, an alterative tonic, good in 
many cases of scrofula and in some other 
chronic complaints. An alterative medicine 
is one which tends to change the condition 
of an organ, or of the whole constitution ; 
setting up its own innocent and transitory- 
action instead of the disturbing and life- 
shortening action of the disease. Dose, of 
the syrup of iodide of iron, ten to thirty 
drops, in water, two or three times daily. 

Pill of carbonate of iron (Vallet's mass) 
is a very good form to make up with qui^iine 
in treating obstinate cases of chills (inter- 
mittent fever). Three grains of the pill of 
the carbonate >of iron with one grain of qui- 
nine, three times a- day, taken for a month, 
after "breaking' ' the chills, will cure ninety- 
nine cases in a hundred of that troublesome 
affection . 

Other " chalybeates," as preparations of 
iron used to be called (iron springs are still 
called chalybeate waters), are: citrate of 
iron, a pretty red salt, not unpleasant to the 
taste, dose, five to ten grains ; phosphate, a 

\s R ' 293 



green solid, dose, five to ten grains ; solution 
(liquor) of the nitrate of iron, the most 
astringent of these preparations, and bene- 
ficial in chronic diarrhcea ; dose, ten drops in 
water, thrice daily ; solutio-n (liquor) oi sicb- 
sulphate of iron, generally called MoJiseVs 
solution ; a good strong astringent for out- 
ward application, to aid in stopping bleeding 
from any part. 

Jalap. — This is ? very active purgative ; 
too much so for common use, but sometimes 
valuable in particular cases. In dropsy it is 
occasionally prescribed, along with cream 
of tartar, or with squills. I remember its 
excellent effect in a ver}'- bad case of scarlet 
fever, with stupor and constipation. Dose, 
ten to twenty grains. 

Juniper. — The berries of the juniper 
tree or shrub ; used in medicine is as a 
diuretic in dropsy. A tea may be made by 
pouring a pint of boiling water upon half 
an ounce of bruised juniper berries, stirring 
and then leaving it to stand for half an hour 
before pouring it off or straining it. A 
tablespoonful of cream of tartar may be 
added ; and at least half a pint of this tea 
may be drunk (a little at a time) in twenty- 
four hours, for dropsy. 

Compoujid spirit of juniper is what phar- 
macists call an " elegant " preparation. It 
has the advantage of being given in small 
dose, a teaspoonful or two, in water; and is 
also, from its stimulant property, best suited 
to feeble patients, or those with delicate 
stornachs. 

Lactucarium. — An extract from the 
common garden lettuce (lactuca). It is 
mildly narcotic and anodyne ; promoting 
sleep like opium, but with much less power. 
The syrup of lactucarium (named Auber- 
giers syrup), is the most convenient pre- 
paration. Dose, one or two teaspoonfuls. 

Lady Webster's Pills. — The important 
thing in these is aloes. They are purgative, 
and, like other aloetic preparations, have 
some efiect in promoting a tendenc}^ of blood 
towards the pelvic region of the body. 
They have much reputation as aiding to 
bring on delayed or suppressed menstru- 
ation. Dose, one pill, at night. Some per- 
sons find half a pill enough to operate on 
the bowels quite as much as is best. A few 
will need to take a second pill for such an 



50 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



effect. It will succeed in a considerable 
number, but not in all cases. 

Laudanum. — Tincture of opium. One 
of the strongest ot the opiate medicines. It is 
therefore a powerful anodyne and hypnotic 
{sleep-p?'oducef-) . 

Dosey for a grown person, from fifteen to 
thirty drops. In diarrhoea, however, as 
small a dose as ten drops will often answer. 
Children are more affected by opiates, in 
proportion to their age, than by any other 
kind of medicine. One drop will be more 
than enough for an infant less than a year 
old ; at least to begin with. 

Laudanum is often applied externally to 
relieve pain. On a sound part of the skin, 
in a grown person, half a teaspoonful may 
be so applied with safety ; but only a few 
drops at a time, even externally, in the case 
of a young child. 

A7iody?ie injections into the bowels are 
most frequently made of laudanum and 
starch. (See injections.) For hypodermic 
injection (under the skin) solution of mor- 
phia is preferred. 

In keeping laudanum, it should be re- 
membered that it strengthens with age, by 
evaporation of some of its alcohol. (All 
tinctures are made with alcohol.) What is 
left at the bottv^m of an old bottle of laud- 
anum may be two or three times as strong 
as a fresh article would be. 

Lavender. — Aromatic flowers, well 
known for their pleasing perfume. The only 
preparation used as a medicine is the com- 
pound spirit of lavender. It is an agreeable 
warming, gently stimulating article ; good in 
colic, sometimes for nausea (sickness of 
stomach), and for dysvienorrhoea (painful 
menstruation). Dose, a teaspoonful, in 
water ; often given in hot water. 

Lead, Sugar of. — A cooling application, 
often used for inflammatio7is . Lead-water 
may be made by dissolving it in water ; but 
with greater convenience by adding to water 
the solution of subacctate of lead (Goulard's 
extract) , which is a very strong liquid prepa- 
tion. Of this last one drop to four table- 
spoonfuls of water will be generally strong 
enough for lead-water. It may be applied 
to a much- inflamed _;Vm/, or (outside) of the 
eyeball or eyelids. For the eyes, the best 
way to use it is with a camel' s-hair pencil. 



paintitig the outside of the closed lids fre- 
quently with it. It should not be taken 
internally except under direction of a physi- 
cian . All preparatio?is of lead are poisonous. 
Care must be taken with them accordingly, 
that none be swallowed unawares. 

Lime-water. — Simply a solution of lime 
in water. Anybody can make it, by putting 
pure, clean, unslaked lime in pure water. 
Take a large bottle, and press into it enough 
lime to fill about one-fourth of its depth. 
Pour in water enough to fill it full, then 
cork and shake it awhile. On standing, the 
clear lime-water will be ready for use. If 
all the lime is dissolved, add a little more, 
so as to be sure that the water is saturated ; 
that is, contains as much as it will dissolve. 

Lime-water is the main stand-by as a 
domestic remedy for vomiting, or for nausea 
threatening it. Dose, from a teaspoonful to 
a tablespoonful. When nourishment is 
needed, a tablespoonful of milk may be 
added to one of lime water. Otherwise, it 
may be diluted with an equal amount of 
water, or cinnamon-water. 

Lime-water is often added with great 
advantage to milk for babies, when they 
have soiir stomach or diarrlnea, as it is ant- 
acid and somewhat astringent. A table- 
spoonful may be put in every half pint of 
the child's food, so long as such an occasion 
exists for it. No harm will be done if it 
should be taken in that way for days, or 
even weeks, together. 

Liquorice, also spelled licorice.^The 
root of an herb growing on the shores of the 
Mediterranean Sea. The Extract is chiefly 
used. It is black, hard, and sweet. There 
is also 2i fluid extract. Neither has any im- 
portant property except some soothing in- 
fluence over the lining membrane of the 
throat. By ' ' sympathy of contiguity ' ' this 
influence extends from the gullet into the 
windpipe, and thus liquorice helps to soften 
and loosen cough. 

Lobelia. — The leaves and tops of this 
plant are employed best in the form of 
tincture. It is a powerful sedative medicine ; 
capable, like tobacco, in large doses, of pro- 
ducing fatal prostration. Its most impor- 
tant use is for asthma. It is often very re- 
lieving in attacks of that affection. It may 
be safely given (watching its effects, and 
94 



THE FAMILY BOCTOR 



51 



stopping it at once if vomiting or great 
faintness result) in half-teaspoonful doses, 
every half hour or hour, until three or four 
doses, if necessary, have been given. An- 
other way is to give twenty drops of tincture 
of lobelia, with twenty drops of syrup of 
ipecac, every twenty minutes, for three or 
four doses. 

Logwood. — The reddish heartwood of a 
Central American tree. It was once more 
used than now, as a mild astringent for 
diarrh(za. A tea may be made of it by boil- 
ing an ounce of it, with a drachm of cinna- 
mon, in a pint of water, for ten minutes. 
Dose, a wineglassful or less. 

Magnesia. — A valuable home medicine, 
as an antacid laxative . It is particularly good 
when there is constipation, with sick stomach 
and headache. Even at the beginning of 
diarrhcea and cholera morbus, it is many 
times the best corrective medicine. Calcined 
magnesia is the preferred form. Water does 
not dissolve it ; so it must be stirred well in 
a little water when taken. Dose, a full tea- 
spoonfull for a grown person, if designed to 
operate on the bowels. Much less will do to 
relieve acidity and nausea. Magnesia is not 
a good medicine to take when one has piles; 
as it sometimes produdes a burning in oper- 
ating freely. It is not, however, a powerful 
cathartic. Citrate of magnesium has been 
spoken of on a previous page. 

Malt Extract. — Especially in Germany, 
large use is made of preparations under this 
name. As sold in this country, some of 
them are too sweet to agree with the 
stomach. The best is JohannHoff's " Malz- 
Extract ;" made in Berlin, and imported in 
short thick bottles. The use of this extract 
is as a tonic, particularly when digestion is 
weak. It may be taken at meals, a quarter 
of a tumblerful at once. When taken at 
bed-time, it is promotive of sleep. 

Manna. — A sweet substance obtained 
from the trunk of the flowerish ash tree, in 
the countries bordering on the Mediterra- 
nean. Its only important use is to open the 
bowels of children and delicate people, in- 
cluding women during pregnancy. It may 
be eaten like sugar. The dose is not very 
definite ; a little experience will show how 
much is required for the desired effect 



295 



Mineral Waters. — These may be classi- 
fied simply as : I. Alkaline. 2. Saline. 3. 
Sulphurous. 4. Chalybeate, containing Iron. 
5. Purgative. 6. Limestone or Calcareous. 
7. Thermal, /. <?., Warm or Hot Springs. 
While some special properties and effects 
upon the system in states of disease belong 
to each of these classes of waters, with dif- 
ferences also among the members of each 
class, they all agree in exerting an alterative 
influence, which is especially likely to be 
beneficial in chronic disorders. Some waters 
are largely supplied for particular remedial 
uses; as the Apollinaris, an agreeable table 
carbonated (effervescent) drink ; Hunyadi 
Janos, Piillna, and Friedrichshalle, for pur- 
gative action ; Vichy water (containing 
soda), to relieve acidity, etc. The. most 
famous mineral waters in our country are 
those of Saratoga (several kinds, all more or 
\qss saline ; with more or less sulphur also, 
or iron, iodine, bromine, etc) , Sharon (saline 
and sulphurous, with some iron), Richfield 
{sulphurous) — all these in the State of New 
York ; Bedford (chalybeate, i. e, containing 
iron, and purgative), in Pennsylvania; and 
a remarkable variety of mineral springs 
among the mountains of Virginia — White 
and Red Sulphur, Warm Springs, Hot 
Springs, etc. In chronic rheumatism, liver 
and kidney disorders, obstinate affections of 
\)ix^skin, and nervous troubles of some stand- 
ing, the best alterative effects from using 
mineral waters, internally or in baths, may 
be hoped for. A physician's advice had 
better always be obtained before they are 
resorted to in cases of serious disease of any 
kind. 

Morphia. — It is not necessary to have 
morphia in the family medicine chest ; laud- 
anum and paregoric will do for opiates under 
almost all circumstances. 

Musk. — A very strongly odorous sub- 
stance, secreted by the musk-deer of the 
Himalaya Mountain region, in Asia. It is 
antispasmodic, that is, composing to dis- 
turbed nerves. Prescribed sometimes for 
whooping-cough and for convulsions. Dose, 
five to ten grains, in pill or mixture. 

riustard- Plaster. — One of the most fre- 
quently useful of all domestic remedies. 
When anybody is suffering pain, or, indeed, 
illness of any kind, if you do not know what 



52 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



to do, put on a musiard-piasier, near the 
seat of the trouble. Should you not j5nd 
where that is, put the mustard- plaster on 
the middle of the back. If properly attended 
to, it can do no harm ; and in ninety-nine 
cases in a hundred it will do some good ; 
sometimes a great deal of good. 

To make one, mix from one to three or 
four tablespoonfuls of mustard (either white 
or black, so called) with the same amount 
of wheat or Indian flour. Mix these with 
enough hot water to make a paste. Then, 
on a hot plate, near the person who is to 
have it on, lay a piece of soft old muslin, or 
thin flannel, twice as large as the plaster is 
to be ; but spread the mustard and flour 
paste only on half of the rag. This done, 
double the other half over it, and stitch the 
edges together, all around ; or, turn the 
edges over instead, to keep the stuff in. It 
may be put on at once, while warm, and 
left on until it is felt to burn quite smartly, 
if the patient is conscious. If not, it must 
be looked under, in a quarter of an hour or 
so, and, if the skin is decidedly ^ed, take it 
off". As soon as it is removed, lard, tallow, 
cold cream, or vaseline should be gently 
rubbed over it, or a fresh rag spread with one 
of them may be laid upon the part. We never 
intend to raise a blister with mustard, it is 
too severe. The aim is just to heat the skin 
very actively, mostly for its use as a counter- 
irritant, to relieve some irritation of an in- 
ternal organ. 

Ready-made mustard- plasters can be had 
now of pharmacists, and are very conve- 
nient. One of them has only to be dipped 
for a moment or two in hot water, and it is 
ready to apply at once. It is well always to 
have a supply of these in the house. 

flush and riustard Poultices are often 
very useful in inflammatory and other pain- 
ful affections. They are made with one 
part of mustard to four parts of mush (of 
Indian meal) mixed, and applied hot on the 
chest or abdomen, as required, and covered 
with oiled silk, or oiled paper, or rubber 
cloth, to retain the moisture. Such a poul- 
tice may stay on for hours, keeping up a 
moderate and bearable excitement of the 
skin (warming and counter-irritant) much 
longer than could be borne with a strong 
mustard-plaster. 



Myrrh. — A gum-resin long known for its 
aromatic properties. Internally given, it is 
stimulant and tonic, and is an ingredient in 
some preparations intended to act upon the 
bowels or to restore suspended menstruation. 
For home use, the tincture of myrrh is very 
serviceable in the care of the mouth. A few 
drops of it in a little water, say about twenty 
drops in a quarter of a tumblerful, used as a 
mouth- wash, will correct a bad odor in the 
breath. Such a wash may be used with ad- 
vantage twice daily, in cleaning the teeth. 
When the teeth begin to decay, a strong 
myrrh wash, often used, will check or retard 
their destruction . If a hollow tooth becomes 
tender, and begins to ache, pure tincture of 
myrrh put into it will sometimes stop the 
trouble at the beginning. If, however, it 
does not at once give relief, the stronger 
application of creosote should follow it. 

Nitrate of Silver, or huiar ca%istic. 
Physicians often use this as an alterative 
application to the throat, eyes, or ulcerated 
skin, in certain states and stages of inflam- 
mation. It is also sometimes given in pill 
as a medicine ; most beneficially in chronic 
{gastritis) inflammation of the stomach. 
Dose, internally, a quarter of a grain (usu- 
ally with as much of opium), thrice daily, 
gradually increased, when it does good, to 
nearly or quite a grain. It was formerly 
much employed in the treatment oi epilepsy . 
When long continued, it has sometimes 
dyed the skin, making the face almost as 
black as ink. 

Nitre. — A name for saltpetre ; called by 
chemists nitrate of potassitim. It is a cool- 
ing, sedative salt, when taken internally. 
In ten-grain doses it is a useful medicine in 
acjite bronchial inflammation (bronchitis), 
and might be added with advantage, more 
often than it is, to cough-mixtures of the 
loosening kind. 

Sweet Spirit of Nitre (spirit of niiro2is 
ether) is a liquid preparation, whose proper- 
ties are gently stimulating, diaphoretic, diu- 
retic, and composing to the nerves. It has 
long been one of the most popular of domes- 
tic medicines for fever. It does the most 
good, however, in the least inflammatory 
I conditions, and, when fever is high, its dose 
should not be large. Half a teaspoonful of 
I it in a tumblerful of cold water, drunk, a 
96 ^ 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



53 



little at a time, as thirst prompts, through 
the night, will be more likely to relieve a 
hot fever, with the coming of perspiration, 
than a whole teaspoonful taken at once. 
This is because the large doses ' ' stimulate 
the circulation above the secreting point, ' ' 
to use an old but true medical phrase. 

To increase the action of the kidneys, as a 
diuretic, sweet spirit of nitre is very often 
useful. For this purpose, ni the absence of 
high fever, larger doses will suit than when 
that condition is present. From half a tea- 
spoonful to a teaspoonful, well diluted with 
water, will be a diuretic dose for an adult ; 
to be repeated in a few hours, if needful. 

Nitrite of Amyl is a powerful agent, 
used by inhalation, from one to four or five 
drops only at a time, as a remedy for the 
attacks or paroxysms of angina pectoris. It 
commonly causes immediate flushing of the 
face. If used, it should be as soon as the 
attack (with distress and pain about the 
heart, and along the left arm) begins. 

Nux Vomica. — A poisonous seed or nut 
whose active principle is the alkaloid strych- 
nia. It is best used in extract or ti^icture. 
Both are bitter tonics, with a powerful action 
on the nervous system, especially the spinal 
marrow. Leaving what we may have to 
say about this last action until we come to 
strychnia, it may be mentioned that physi- 
cians often find extract of nux vomica a 
good addition, in small dose (a quarter to 
half a grain), to tonic pills for continued 
debility. The tincture, in ten-drop doses, 
in water, is an excellent medicine for great 
weakness ofstoniach, wAh. JIatidence . Larger 
doses (if even these) should not be ventured 
upon without medical advice ; on account 
of the very powerful nature of the active 
principle of this drug. The tincture of nux 
vomica should be marked " poison." 

Olive Oil. — Probably the gentlest of all 
laxatives ; in teaspoonful to tablespoonful 
dvoses. For a delicate infant, needing to 
have the bowels acted upon, a teaspoonful 
is very good. The imitation of true olive 
oil, sold under its name, or as " sweet oil," 
is less bland, but will answer if the genuine 
European article cannot be obtained. 

Sweet oil, saturated with camphor (cam- 
phorated oil), makes an excellent applica- 
tion for more or less inflammatory swelling ; 

29 .297 



as for example, a mother's breast threaten- 
ing to become inflamed while she is nurs- 
ing ; or, more often, when her infant ceases 
to draw milk, as from illness or the death 
of the child. 

Sweet oil, with an equal quantity oi 
aqua ammonice (water of ammonia) or aro- 
matic spirit of ammonia, makes volatile lini 
ment ; an excellent outward application for 
sore throat. 

Opium. — If all the medicines in the world 
were to be destroyed, except three, and, we 
could choose the three, they should be qui- 
nine, opium and iron. The first cures the 
greatest number of cases of illness ; the 
second gives the happiest relief to severe 
pain ; and the last does the most to build 
up a debilitated body. Of the preparations 
oi opium, laiidanitni and morphia have been 
mentioned. The dose of opium in substance 
is one grain ; equal to thirty drops of lauda- 
num, or a full teaspoonful of solution of 
morphia (not Magendie's solution). 

Paregoric is the camphorated tincture oj 
opium. Its odor and taste are partly due 

to the oil of 
anise-seed 
with which 
it is flavored. 
I t contains 
only one 
grain of 
opium \\\ 2 
tablespoon- 
ful of pare- 
goric ; being 
therefore a 
much weak- 
er opiate 
than laud- 

a n u m ; 
which has 
about four 
grains of 
opium in 
each tea- 
spoonful. 
Dose of paregoric, a teaspoonful, more or 
less, according to the occasion for its use. 
In diarrhcsa, for example, quarter- teaspoon- 
ful doses will often answer the purpose. 
Smaller doses, of course, are suitable to give 
to children. 




POPPY FLOWER 



54 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



Pepper. — Of the two kinds used with 
food, red pepper {capsicum) is the more 
stimulating. It is sometimes given by phy- 
sicians as a stimulant, in five-grain pills. A 
much more common use for it is to excite 
the circulation of the skin, as a rubefacient; 
a power which it shares (though in less 
degree) with mustard. In cholera, when the 
skin is cold, rubbing with whiskey and red 
pepper is one of the best things to restore 
the circulation. It may be employed for 
the same purpose in any analogous, low 
and cold, condition. 

Peppermint. — Essence of peppermint is 
a pleasant, warm aromatic ; given as good 
for rf //<: and sick stomach. Dose, ten drops 
for a grown person ; for an infant, from two 
drops down to half a drop (that is, add one 
drop to a desertspoonful of water, and give 
of this a teaspoonful at once) . 

Pepsin. — Hard to get pure. Given for 
v\reak digestion. Dose, 5 grains. 

Permanganate of Potassium. — This 
"salt," which gives a beautiful red color to 
water, has a remarkable action on all organic 
(animal or vegetable) matter. It is one of 
the best disinfectants. Five grains of it in a 
pint of water will make a solution suitable 
to wash out vessels used in the sick room 
with patients having contagious or infectious 
diseases. Internally, permanganate of potas- 
sium is highly recommended (in two-grain 
doses, dissolved in distilled water, twice 
daily) by some physicians in amemorrhcea 
(delay or suppression of the monthly courses). 
As it sometimes disagrees with the stomach, 
it must be used with care, and can hardly 
be placed among the domestic medicines. 

Phosphorus. — Too dangerous for use as 
a domestic medicine, this is sometimes given 
by physicians as a powerful nerve-stimulant. 
Dose, one-thirtieth of a grain. Phosphates 
are safe compounds, often used. Parrish's 
and Horsford's are very popular tonic pre- 
parations. Of the latter (acid phosphates), 
the dose is half a teaspoonful, in water, just 
before or after a meal. 

Pink=-Root. — This American plant {Spi- 
gelia Marylafidica) is a very good medicine for 
worms {vermifuge). It may be made into a 
a tea thus : Put together half an ounce of 
broken and bruised pink -root ; senna leaves 
and fennel seed, each two drachms ; manna, 

298 



one ounce; and boiling water, one pint. 
Let it stand (after stirring) covered for an 
hour. Dose, a wineglassful for an adult, half 
a wineglassful for a child two or three years 
old, thrice daily. It is best not to go beyond 
these doses, as, in very large amount, it acts 
poisonously . There is a fluid extract of spige- 
lia, also, a convenient preparation ; dose, a 
teaspoonful ; and still better (because the 
senna makes it more sure to pass off by the 
bowels), the fluid extract of spigelia and 
senna ; dose of this also, a teaspoonful, 
repeated every two or three hours until it 
operates. 

Podophyllin, ox Resina Podophylli — This 
is an active principle obtained from the root 
of the common May-apple {podophyllum 
peltatum). The powdered root itself may 
be taken in doses of ten to twenty grains. 
Of podophylliyi, the dose is but from one- 
sixth to one-half or three-fourths of a grain. 
It is a powerful, though slowly-acting cath- 
artic ; believed also to act more than most 
purgative medicines on the liver. 

Potassa (Potash). — Solution of potassa 
is sometimes given as a medicine by physi- 
cians. Caiistic potassa (vegetable caustic) 
is the solid stick, which, with care, maybe 
used to destroy warts. More often, bicarbon- 
ate of potassium is employed as an antacid, 
in ten or twenty-grain doses ; and as an 
ingredient in effervescing dratight (which 
see) . This bicarbonate is also the salaeratus 
(gaseus ^alt) of the bakery ; as, like bicar- 
bonate of sodium, it gives off carbonic acid 
gas when an acid, such as tartaric acid, is 
added to it. 

Poultices. — These are used to warm and 
soften the skin, when 
applied to inflamed 
parts of the surface of 
the body ; particularly 
when a gathering (sup- 
puration, abscess) i s 
expected. Also, t '"*?)• 
often do good in cases 
of internal injlamma 
tio7i {pneumonia, for 
example) by favoring the return of the blood 
to the skin, and thus unloading the part 
troubled with excess of blood. 

Flaxseed, (linseed), bran, mush, slippery- 
ehn bark, charcoal, chopped carrots, and lye. 




POULTICE, COVERED WITH 
GAUZE. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



55 



are among the materials most needed for 
poultices. 

Flaxseed meal, mixed with hot water, 
makes a good, soft convenient poultice for 
common use in ' ' gatherings ' ' of different 
parts of the body. Mix the meal well with 
enough hot water to make it hold together 
and spread easily, and yet not too soft to 
stay where it is put ; a poultice should never 
run. For use, it should be spread upon a 
piece of flannel or muslin laid on a hot plate 
or hot waiter; something hot near the 
patient, so that it will be warm when 
applied. The edges of the rag should be 
turned over, to the width of about an inch, 
to keep the stuff in, and upon it may be 
laid a piece of thin and soft gauze or tarle- 
tan. The latter makes the poultice easier 
CO remove, but is not otherwise necessary. 
A few drops of sweet oil (or lard oil) may 
with advantage be poured, or a little vasel- 
ine spread, upon the surface of a flaxseed 
poultice. When /am is great, half a tea- 
spoonful to a teaspoonful of laudanum may 
be poured upon it. As soon as the poultice 
is put on the part, it should be covered with 
a piece of oiled silk, oiled paper, or thin 
rubber cloth, to prevent evaporation, and 
thus keep it moist. Without this, it will 
dry and become hard and cold in a little 
while. Bran will do as a substitute for 
flaxseed meal, when the latter cannot be 
obtained. 

Bread and mush poultices are made and 
applied in the same way. One made with 
crumbs of moderately stale bread and hot 
water (better this always than milk, which 
may sour unpleasantly) is as soothing to the 
part as any poultice can be. Powder or 
slips oi slippery -elm bark are also very soft, 
and perhaps more cooling to an irritated 
skin . 

A mush poultice (of indian meal) is the 
warmest kind ; very suitable for application 
in iriternal inflammations, as pneumo?iia, 
pleurisy, dysentery, etc. It may be made by 
by using hot mush, prepared just as if it 
were to be eaten ; spread, applied, and cov-' 
ered in the same way as a flaxseed poultice. 

In changing or renewing a poultice, be 
sure to have the fresh one warm, close by 
the patient, so that the part will not remain 
for a moment uncovered. Should it do so. 



299 



the chill caused might more than undo all 
the good effected by the poultice. 

A chaf coal ■^oulticQ is only suitable for a 
nasty, and especially a mortifying (gan- 
grenous), part suffering from disease or in- 
jury. Finely powdered charcoal should 
be used ; two parts of it with one part of 
Indian mush. Warmth is not important 
for this kind of poultice unless the limb or 
other part affected is cold at the time. 
Such poultices need to be changed often. 
Yeast poultices are sometimes employed, 
but I am quite doubtful of their beneficial 
action . 

Lye (ley) poultices may be made by mix- 
ing common lye from ashes, or a druggist's 
solution of potassa, with flaxseed or Indian 
meal. They are not often used nowadays, 
being formerly applied to punctured and 
torn (lacerated) wounds, as a means of pre- 
venting lock-Jaw (tetanus). Better, for this 
purpose, is laudanum,, applied directly to 
the part. If a lye poultice is so used, lau- 
danum should be added to it. 

Pumpkin Seeds. — ^These have a de- 
served reputation, as capable of driving a 
tapeworm out of the bowels. For such use, 
an ounce (about two tablespoonfuls) of the 
fresh seeds should, after removal of their 
outer skin, be beaten, with a tablespoon ful 
of sugar, into a paste, then mixed in milk 
or water, and drunk, either at once or in 
two draughts half an hour apart. Such a 
dose should be taken after fasting for from 
twelve to twenty-four hours, and should be 
followed in three hours by a tablespoonful 
dose of castor-oil. 

Quassia.- A bitter wood which is a 
good, simple stomachic tonic, suitable for 
dyspepsia. It is best taken in the form of a 
tea. Half an ounce of it may be boiled for 
an hour or two in a pint of water. Dose, 
half a wineglassful, two or three times 
daily. 

Quinine — What is commonly so called 
and used in medicine is the sulphate of 
q7iinia. The alkaloid quinia is the most 
valuable of several obtained from Peruvian 
bark ; that is, the bark of different species 
of cinchona tree. 

Quinine is a bitter tonic, but not a 
stomach tonic only ; it acts decidedly, also, 
on the nervov'/; system. When this is 



56 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



debilitated, it will do as much good as any 
medicine, unelss in cases where iroji or 
strychnia is suitable, to improve its tone. 
;3ut the heroic value of quinine is in the 
treatment of malarial fevers ; that is, inter - 
viiitcnt, remittent, and perniaons (or con- 
gestive) fevers. All of these prevail most 
in the autumn, although considerably also 
in the spring of the year. All of them are 
characterized by peidodicity ; that is, more 
or less regular spells, following each other at 
intervals or periods. Chills occur either 
once a day, or every other day, or on the 
first or fourth days ; sometimes, only once 
in seven days. Each chill, also, is followed 
by a fever, and that by a sweat. Remittent 
fever does not go off during the interval, 
but only remits its violence ; hence its 
name. 

So marked is the power of Peruvian 
bark and its alkaloids, especially quinia, to 
stop chills, and to cure remitteiit fever , that it 
may be well called a specific remedy, even 
an antidote for them. 

Dose of quinine, as a simple tonic in 
cases of weakness, one or two grains every 
four hours, until from six to eight grains 
are taken daily. The form of pills is m( st 
convenient for this use ; one-grain or two- 
grain pills. For the cure of intermitte7it 
(chills, ague), more is needed ; from twelve 
to fifteen grains daily for about three days, 
and then lessening gradually, to ten, eight, 
and six grains a day, continuing the latter 
for two weeks. In pernicious intermittent, 
in the Southern States, yet larger doses are 
required. Remitte7it fever needs the knowl- 
edge and judgment of a physician to deal 
safely with it. 

Onchonia (sulphate) agrees with some 
persons better than quinine. The latter, in 
doses amounting to over eight grains daily, 
makes many people's eaj's ring, or hum, or 
roar. Cinchonia hardly ever does this ; at 
least, in moderate doses. Quinidia and cin- 
chonidia also suit certain patients the best. 

The popular idea that qtiinine injures 
the health, especially when long taken, is 
entirely mistaken. If prescribed only in 
ordinary doses (not more than fifteen or 
twenty grains in twenty-four hours), it does 
no harm, and, in malarial cases, may often 
save life, as well as shorten the time of sick- 



ness very much. In over-doses, it ti.ay 
cause tempoiary, or possibly permanent 
deafness. Extreme doses might even kill, 
by poisonous action on the brain ; but 
such amounts are never given by phy- 
sicians. I have known quinine to be taken, 
as much as from six to eight, or occasionally 
ten, grains daily, by a delicate person, for 
years together with good action as a tonic, 
and no disadvantage. 

Quinine may be taken in malarial cases, 
whether there \iQ fever or not ; for example, 
in periodic attacks oi neuralgia. Other dis- 
eases, also, in certain localities, take on the 
periodic form : but for these we must refer 
to larger medical works. 

Rhatany. — This is the root oi kramcria, 
a South American shrub. It is astringent ; 
its tincture is the best preparation. Dose, a 
teaspoonful, in water. Used especially for 
diarrhoea. 

Rhubarb. — The root of an Asiatic and 
European plant, is a gentle purgative, with 




RHUBARB (rheum PALMATUM). 

also some tonic property, which makes it 
especially adapted to dyspeptic persons, and 
others disposed to constipation. Dose, for 
such a use, from three to six or eight grains. 
Many people buy the root in pieces, as it 
comes in the shops, and cut off daily what, 
on trial, they find to suffice for them. Eess 
trouble attends the use of simple rhubarb 
pills ; one or more as may be necessary ; if 
only one, bedtime will be the best time to 
take it ; if two, one at night and one in the 
morning. 

Compound rhubarb pills contain also 
scammony and aloes (both strong cathartics), 



300 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



57 



as well as myrrh. They are at least twice 
as active as simple rhubarb pills. 

Simple syritp of rhubarb is a very good 
opening medicine for infants. Dose, for a 
babe, about a teaspoonful. 

Spiced syrup of rhubarb is one of the 
often est useful of all domestic medicines. 
It contains, besides rhubarb, cloves, cinna- 
vion, nutmeg, alcohol, sugar and water. It 
is therefore aromatic and gently stimulant, 
as well as promotive of action of the bowels. 
This last effect, that of a purgative, is so 
slight, that it is generally useful in correct- 
ing irregular intestinal secretion, and thus 
curing diarrhoea, if given at an early stage. 
It is also very relieving to colicky pain with 
diarrhoea ; and is an excellent ' ' vehicle ' ' 
with which to mix other medicines of nasty 
taste, as castor-oil ; or those which do not 
readily dissolve in pure water. 

The dose of spiced syrup of rhubarb is 
from a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful ; not 
as a purgative, for which effect the simple 
syrup of rhubarb is better ; but to correct 
and relieve diarrhoea, especially when accom- 
panied with pain, at an early stage. 

Rochelle Salts : Tartrate of sodimn ana 
potassium. A not very disagreeable, mod- 
erately active, purgative medicine ; one of 
the most convenient and suitable at the be- 
ginning of an inflammatory or febrile ill- 
ness ; such as bronchitis, pneiiniofiia, measles, 
scarlet fever , remitte7it fever , etc. Dose, from 
a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, dissolved 
in a fourth or a third part of a tumblerful of 
water. 

Santonin. — One of the most ejQfectual 
vermifuges ; that is, medicines which either 
kill or drive out worms. It must be used 
with care, as excessive doses are violent in 
their action ; we may say poisonous. For 
lumbricord worms, the commonest kind, one 
grain will be a dose for an adult ; a quarter 
of a grain, or less for a child. For seat- 
worms (those small ones which inhabit the 
lower bowel; and cause annoying itching of 
the a7ttcs or outlet) suppositories of santonin 
are the best remedy. These are made of 
cocoa butter, with two or three grains of 
santonin in each ; one being inserted into the 
bowel at bedtime. 

Sassafras Pith. — A very soft material, 
which giv»s a soothing (demulcent) prop- 

30 



erty to water in which it is placed. It is 
often used in this way for inflammation of 
the eyes. 

Seidlitz Powders. — Made by mixing bi- 
carbonate of sodium, and tartrate of potas- 
sium and sodium (rochelle salt), in powder 
together, for one paper. For another paper, 
tartaric acid is put up, in proportionate 
quantity. When administered, each powder 
is dissolved in water, and the two solutions 
are poured together. It is a mild but 
prompt effervescing purgative, much in use 
before the invention of the effervescing solu- 
tion of citrate of magnesium. Each saline 
powder contains forty grains of bicarbonate 
of sodium (soda) and two drachms of Ro- 
chelle salt. Each acid powder consists of 
thirty-five grains of tartaric acid. 

Senna. — The leaves of an Eastern plant ; 
an active purgative, with a disposition to 
give some griping pain in its operation. 
This may be prevented by adding fennel 
seed {an aromatic) or oil of fennel to it 
when given. 

Fluid extract of se?tna is a neat and not 
very unpleasant preparation ; with a drop of 
oil of fennel to each ounce, it is a very good 
laxative for infants or older children. Fluid 
extract of spigelia and senna has been men- 
tioned already. 

Slippery=Elm Bark has a demulcent 
property which makes it soothing to an in- 
flamed or irritated part of the body ; in ery- 
sipelas, for example. It is rather heavy to 
the stomach for internal use to advantage. 

Soap. — Castile soap is the kind preferred 
when nicety is particularly desired. This is 
used by some people to clean their teeth. It 
is an ingredient, also, in some purgative 
pills, and is commonly employed for laxa- 
tive suppositories, and to make warm suds 
for opening i7ijections. 

A lather of soap, made as for shaving, 
and applied with a shaving-brush, is oneojf 
the most relieving applications for itching ; 
for example, in poison-vine eruption, or 
other affections of the skin. 

Soap Liniment. — Camphorated ti^icture 
of soap. An excellent bathing material, so- 
called ; that is, for rubbing a part, to warm 
and stimulate the movement of blood at and 
near the surface. It is good for sore-throat, 
sprains, etc., in this way. 



58 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Soda, — Bicarbonate of sodium is the 
chemical name of the article which is used 
in baking and washing, as well as in medi- 
cine. It is an excellent and not disagree- 
able antacid, relieving sourness of stomach, 
and often nausea (sickness of stomach) bet- 
ter than anything else. For such a use it 
may be taken, in small quantities. What 
would cover a little finger nail, if it would 
hold it — 2i pinch WQ may say — is an ordinary 
antacid dose, although twic^; as much may 
be taken for a single time. It is often pre- 
scribed by physicians for gravel. 

Soda water, or mineral water, has no 
soda in it, but is made by forcing into com- 
mon water carbonic acid gas, given off by 
the bicarbonate of sodium in solution, upon 
the addition of an acid to it, as sulphuric or 
chlorohydric acid. 

5pice=PIasters. — When a child's stom- 
ach is sick, or it is obstinately colicky, one 
of the most helpful things is a spice-plaster. 
Take of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, all 
powdered, each one or two teaspoonfuls ; 
of wheat flour, the same amount. Mix all 
up together on a hot plate, with enough 
whiskey or brandy to make a pasty mass. 
Spread this (not too thickly, on account of 
its weight) on a piece of thin flannel, with 
the edges turned in over it all round . When 
applied to the abdomen (it had better be 
large enough to cover the whole belly), it 
should have laid over it a piece of oiled 
silk, to prevent evaporation. Then it can 
stay on several hours, and, when dry, may 
be freshened up again by adding a litle more 
brandy or whiskey. 

Like the spice-plaster in action, is the 
application of a piece of flannel wet with 
essence of ginger, and covered with oiled 
silk. This will be somewhat more irritating 
to the skin of young and delicate children 
than the spice-plaster. 

Squills, — The bulb ol an onion-like 
plant, of which the syrup is most used. It 
is an excellent cough-medicine (expecto- 
rant) : rather less loosening than ipecac, 
and therefore suited to a later stage in a 
bronchial attack. Dose, from a half tea - 
spoonful to a teaspoonful. This syrup 
should be in every medicine-chest. 

In pill, squill is often given as a diuretic 



(increasing the flow of urine). Dose for 
this use, one or two grains, three times 
daily. 

Staphysagria. — Stavesacre. A drug 
used in powder as an effective parasiticide ; 
especially to destroy the eggs or ' ' nits ' ' of 
lice. 

Sulphide of Calcium, in quarter-grain 
doses or less, has the confidence of many 
physicians as a remedy for boils, when one 
boil keeps following another. A fresh- 
made solution, of one grain in a pint of 
water will answer ; two teaspoonfuls being 
taken every hour or two for a few days at a 
time. Sulphite of sodium, in doses of from, 
five to fifteen grains, does good in some 
cases of indigestion, and perhaps in some of 
boils or carbuncles. 

Sulphur. — This is a mild and good 
laxative; particularly suitable for piles, and 
for those persons who are often troubled 
with colic. Dose, a teaspoonful ; in mo- 
lasses or milk. In recent cases of skin-dis- 
ease, it is often given with an equal quantity 
of cream of tartar. 

Externally , sulphur is the specific rem- 
edy for itch ; not the only one, but the most 
convenient and frequently used. It is ap- 
plied in the form of ointment, rubbed well 
into the seat of the eruption, where it kills 
the acarus or itch-mite, which keeps up the 
disea^. 

Sulphur, when burned, gives off fumes 
of sulphurous acid, which is a potent disin- 
fectant. A pound or two of it burned in a 
large room (with all the people out of it, of 
course, as the gas cannot be breathed), 
with the doors and windows closed for two 
or three hours, will do more to purify it of 
any contagion or infection than anything 
else that can be done. 

Sulphuric acid, in its pure state, is not 
used in medicine. Arom-atic sulphuric acid 
is the elixir of vitriol. This is a good ap- 
petizer in ten- or twelve-drop doses, in 
water. It is also sometimes given for 
diarrhoea ; and has some reputation as one 
of the remedies for epidemic cholera. A 
drink made of it is recommended to workers 
in lead or lead paint, to prevent the poison- 
ous action of that metal ; as the sulphate of 
lead (compound of lead with sulphuric acid) 



30: 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



59 



Is insoluble iti water, and without much if | 
any poisonous influence upon the body. 

Suppositories are small, soft solids, 
made for introduction into the lower bowel. 
Brown soap is sometimes so used instead of 
an opening injection (enema). A piece of 
it or of castile soap may be cut of about the 
size and shape of the last joint of the little 
finger, and dipped in oil (castor-oil or sweet- 
oil) for easy introduction. It must be 
pressed upwards gently until fully within 
the bowel, and retained for a little while by 
the contraction of the muscle at the outlet 
{sphincter ani muscle of anatomists). 

Cocoa Butter is a very common and con- 
venient material for suppositories, with 
which are mixed medicinal agents so to be 
used. Opium may be employed, the dose 
being twice as large as when taken by the 
mouth. A suppository may therefore con- 
tain two grains of opium. Sayitonin sup- 
positories (with three grains of this drug in 
each) may be used with great advantage for 
seat-worvis. 

Tannin or Tannic Acid — This is the 
astringent principle of oak bark, of nut 
galls, and of many other vegetable materi- 
als. Its presence in tea-leaves accounts for 
iron spoons being blackened when left in 
tea. Catechu and other vegetable astring- 
ent medicines contain tannic acid, some of 
them also the very similar gallic acid. 

Tannin is often given as a medicine 
in pili for diarrhoea and for hemorrhages. 
A good astringent pill is made with three 
grains of tannin and a little opium, from 
one-twelfth to one-half a grain of the latter, 
according to the case. 

Tannin is also frequently made part of 
an astringent gargle, particularly in rather 
chronic {^ro\ong&X) cases of sore throat. 

Tar. — An old-time remedy for chronic 
bronchial trouble ; especially likely to do 
good by inhalation. A tin cup containing 
tar may be kept over a slow flame, in the 
room with the invalid, so as to give off tar 
vapor into the air. A good way is to have 
the cup of tar in a vessel of hot water ; the 
heat acting upon the water, so that it never 
heats the tar so much as to decompose it. 
Ot it may be used with a simple inhaler. 
(See Inhalation), 



303 



Tar Ointment is a valuable preparation 

in some skin diseases. It will generally cure 
ringworm. For this purpose, it should be 
rubbed gently but thoroughly over the ring- 
worm at night (the part being, if practic- 
able, then covered with a soft rag, over 
which is oiled silk), and cleaned off care- 
fully with warm water and castile soap in 
the morning. 

Taraxacum. — Everybody knows the dan 
delion plant. Taj^axacum dens leonis is it& 
botanical name. The leaves are liked by 
some people as a kind of "greens" for the 
table. The root has long been known, 
when chewed or drunk in the form of a tea, 
to act upon the kidneys, increasing the flow 
of water. Besides this diuretic action, it 
appears also to aid in relieving torpor of the 
liver. 

Extract of taraxacum is the most con- 
venient preparation. In ten- or twenty- 
grain does it may be taken by those who 
have symptoms threatening bilious colic, or 
who, from nausea, dizziness, a bitter taste, 
and yellow eyes and tongue, appear to suf- 
fer from imperfect removal of bile from the 
system. It is thus a mild and safe assistant 
to, or perhaps substitute for, blue mass. 

Tarrant's Powders. — A moderately 
active and not unpleasant cooling purgative. 
Dose, from a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, 
according to the amount of effect desired. 

Tartar Emetic. — A very harsh drug in 
its effects upon the human body, unless it 
be given in very small doses. Other emetics 
are always to be preferred when vomiting is 
to be produced. Its greatest value is in 
small doses as a sedative and expectorant in 
highly inflammatory cases of pneumonia or 
acute bronchitis. From one-sixteenth to 
one-fourth of a grain for an adult will be 
enough, every two or three hours. For 
children, tartar emetic is too prostrating to 
be used unless for quite exceptional reasons. 
Coxe's hive syrup, formerly a common 
medicine for croup, should be excluded 
from the family medicine-chest, on account 
of its containing tartar emetic. Antimonial 
wine is open to the same objection ; wine 
of ipecac, is similar in effect, but much 
safer. 

Tartfj^' emetic ointment is occasionally 
employed as a powerful counter-irritant, 



So 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



applied to the chest or spine. It causes a sore 
pustular eruption, more severe even than that 
made by croton oil used in the same way. 
Turpentine, Oil or Spirit of. — tFsed 

occasionally by physicians as a medicine 
internally, in ten-drop doses, in typhoid 
fever (as an alternative to the diseased 
bowel) and in chronic rheumatism ; in larger 
quantities, even a teaspoonful or more, in 
cases of tapeivorm, and as an antidote for 
pJiospho7'iis poisoning. Oil of turpentine is 
very heating, and had better not be taken 
internally without medical advice. 

Externally , it is a good warming appli- 
cation (half and half with sweet oil, if the 
skin of the patient be delicate) for sore 
throat, pain in the side or back, etc. It may 
cause some soreness and a slight eruption, 
which, however, will soon pass away. 

Valerian. — The root of an herb native to 
the Old World, of which the tincture and 
flidd extract are most used. It is a mild 
nervous stimulant and antispasmodic (com- 
posing agent). In /y5/<?;7Va/ cases, and in 
some cases of deliriiiui tremens, it is very 
serviceable. Dose of the tincture, a teaspoon- 
ful ; of the fluid extract, the same ; either 
being diluted with water when taken. 

Valerianate or Ammonia is often given, 
in the form of an elixir, in teaspoonful 
doses, to promote sleep in cases of restless- 
ness at night. Valerianate of zinc is a 
nerve-tonic ; sometimes prescribed by phy- 
sicians, in one-grain doses, for epilepsy. 

Vichy Water. — An alkaline (antacid) 
mineral water of France, more agreeable be- 
cause of its containing some free carbonic 
acid gas. It is recommended for dyspepsia 
with sour stomach; {or gravel., a.nd{orgo7(t ; 
especially when the last named affects the 
stomach and digestion. Vichy lozenges are 
sold by apothecaries, being intended to imi- 
tate vichy water when dissolved. They are 
often found serviceable to persons subject to 
sourness of stomach after eating. 

Warner's Cordial . — Tincture of Rhubarb 
and Senfca this is, by composition. It is a 
warming, stimulating laxative to the-bowels ; 
good in gouty cases, and many others. Dose, 
one or two teaspoonfuls, in water. 

Watermelon=5eed Tea is an old remedy 
for dropsy. It is a diuretic, of considerable 
power; and quite safe, if it does not always 



cure. A couple of tablespoonfuls of the 
seeds may be infused in a pint of hot water, 
and left covered for an hour or two. It is 
least disagreeable when taken cold ; dose, a 
wineglassful (or less, if the stomach be 
weak) three or four times a day. 

Wild Cherry Bark. — One of our native 
American medicines, of real value. Like the 
fruit and leaves of the wild cherry tree, and 
like peach leaves and fruit-stones, this bark 
contains principles which, when water is 
add.ed, make a small quantity of Prussic 
(Cyanohydric or Hydrocyanic) Acid. This 
is a decided sedative to the blood-circulation, 
while wild cherry bark has also somewhat 
of the touic property which is more largely 
possessed by the vegetable bitters. It is, 
therefore, a sedative tonic. It is adapted to 
cases of bronchial inflammation, especially 
in rather feeble persons. I have known it 
to do good even in consumption of the lungs. 
A cold hifusion (tea) may be made by soak- 
ing pieces of the bark in cold water over 
night. This may be drunk freely, so long 
as the stomach is not oppressed by it. But 
more convenient are the syrup and fljiid 
extract of wild cherry bark. The syrup is 
an excellent cough-medicine, at any stage 
of a cough, having a particularly soothing 
and quieting influence upon the air-passages. 
It may be taken at first with syrup of ipecac. , 
to Icosen the cough ; then with syrup of 
squills, to hasten the cure ; and afterward, 
if need be, when it is well loosened and ytt 
troublesome, with a little paregoric also. 
Dose, a teaspoonful. Much more at a time 
will sicken some persons. 

Wistar's Lozenges. These are made of 
liquorice, gum-arabic, sugar, oil of anise, 
and a little opium. They are very quieting 
to a cough, but, as opium tends to check 
expectoration, they are not suitable for the 
early, tight stage ; their time is when cough 
is loosened thoroughly, but is annoying and 
interferes with sleep at night. From one to 
four lozenges may be dissolved slowly in the 
mouth in the course of a night if required. 

Many more drugs might be here named, 
and their properties and uses described. But 
I think it best to confine our attention to 
those best tried and known to the medical 
profession. Others maybe read about in 
medical works. 
304 



DOSES OF PRINCIPAL MEDICINES 

Acetate of Ammonium Solution i Tablespoonful. 

Aromatic Spirit of Ammonia lo to 30 Drops. 

Assafoetida, in Pill 3 to 5 Grains. 

Assafoetida, Milk Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Blue Pill % Grain to 3 Grains. 

Bromide of Potassium or Sodium .... 5 to 20 Grains. 

Cajuput Oil 4 to 8 Drops. 

Calomel tV Grain to 2 or 3 Grains. 

Camphor, Spirit 10 to 30 Drops. 

Camphor Water Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Cardamom, Compound Tincture i Teaspoonful. 

Castor-Oil Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Catechu, Tincture Half-Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Cathartic Pills, Compound i Pill. 

Chalk Mixture Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Chloral Hydrate 5 to 30 Grains. 

Chlorate of Potassium 5 to 20 Grains. 

Chloride of Ammonium (Muriate of 

Ammonia) 5 to 20 Grains. 

Chloroform, internally 5 to 50 Drops. 

Cinchona, Sulphate 2 to 3 Grains. 

Citrate of Magnesia, Solution i or 2 Wineglassfuls. 

Citrate of Magnesia, Granulated Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Cod-Liver Oil i Tablespoonful. 

Col chicum, Wine of Root 10 to 20 drops. 

Cream of Tartar Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Creasote i Drop. 

Croton Oil, internally .. % Drop. 

Digitalis, Tincture 10 to 15 Drops. 

Dover's Powders 10 Grains, at night. 

Elaterium yV of a Grain, 

Elixir of Vitriol 10 to 15 Drops. 

Elixir Proprietatis i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Epsom Salts Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Ergot, Wine of Half-Teaspoonful to 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Gentian, Compound Tincture i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Ginger, Essence of 10 to 30 Drops. 

Glycerin, internally i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Hoffman's Anodyne i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Hops, Tincture of i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Hunyadi Janos Water i Wineglassful. 

Huxham's Tincture i Teaspoonful. 

Iodide of Potassium , . 5 to 10 Grains. 

Iodine, Eugol's Solution 10 to 15 Drops. 

305 



62 THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 

Iodoform, tftiernally i Grain. 

Ipecacuanha, Syrup or Wine lo Drops to i TeaspoonM. 

Iron, Pill of Carbonate (Vallet's) .... 3 to 5 Grains. 

Iron, Tincture of Chloride 10 to 20 Drops. 

Jalap 5 to 10 Grains. 

Lactucarium, Syrup i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Laudanum 10 to 30 Drops. 

Lavender, Compound Spirit i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Lime water Dessertspoonful to TablespoonfWo 

Lobelia, Tincture 20 Drops to a Teaspoonful. 

Lupulin, Tincture of i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Magnesia, Calcined i Teaspoonful. 

Morphia, Magendie's Solution 4 or 5 Drops. 

Morphia, Solution i Teaspoonful. 

Musk 3 to 5 Grains. 

Nux Vomica, Extract /4^ to >^ Grain. 

Nux Vomica, Tincture 10 to 20 Drops. 

Opium I Grain. 

Paregoric i Teaspoonful. 

Peppermint, Essence i to 10 Drops. 

Permanganate of Potassium, internally . . i or 2 Grains. 

Pink Root, Fluid Extract ....... i Teaspoonful. 

Pink Root and Senna, Extract i Teaspoonful. 

Podophyllin % Grain. 

Piillna Water i Tablespoonful. 

Quinine i or 2 Grains. 

Rochelle Salt Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Rhubarb, in Pill 3 to 5 Grains. 

Rhubarb, Simple Syrup Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Rhubarb, Spiced Syrup Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Santonin i to 3 Grains. 

Senna, Fluid Extract Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Soda, Bicarbonate 2 to 20 Grains. 

Squills, Syrup Half Teaspoonful to Teaspoonful. 

Tannic Acid 3 Grains. 

Taraxacum, Extract 10 to 20 Grains. 

Tarrant's Powders Teaspoonful to Tablespoonful. 

Veratrum Viride, Tincture 3 to 6 Drops. 

Warner's Cordial i or 2 Teaspoonfuls. 

Wild Cherry Bark. Syrup i Teaspoonful. 

Wild Cherry Bark, Fluid Extract .... i Teaspoonful, 

306 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



63 



The doses here given are intended, as a 
rule for adults. 

A.S a guide for the giving of medicines to 
patients in general we append the following : 

Table of Proportionate Doses. 

Age, years 80 65 50 25-40 20 16 12 85 2 

Doses . . .yk H Yi -^ y% % ji 'A Vi % 

Age, months 12 6 2 i 

Doses 1-5 1-8 1-15 1-24 

Largest Safe Doses of Poisonous Drugs. 

Every person should know the largest doses, 
which is safe to take, of active medicines. The 
following table shows the largest doses admissible, 
in grammes, and also the equivalent i a grains for 
solids, and in minims for liquids. The doses are 
expressed in fractions, thus: 1-13, 1-64, meaning 
one-thirteenth, one-sixty-fourth. In non- profes- 
sional hands it is the safest plan to strictly observe 
the rule of never giving the maximum dose of any 
medicine : 

Medicines. Grammes. Grains. 

Arsenious Acid 005 1-13 

Acid, Carbolic 05 % 

" Hydrocyanic 06 i 

Aconita 0041 1-16 

Aconite Root 15 2% 

Arsenic, Iodide 025 y% 

Atropia 001 1-64 

Atropia Sulph oox 1-64 

Barium, Chlor 12 1-64 



Belladonna, Herb .2 3 

" Root I ly^ 

Codia 05 ^ 

Conia 001 1-64 

Digitalis 3 4>^ 

Ext Aconite I,eaves i 1% 

" " Root 025 y^ 

" Belladonna .1 1% 

" Cannabis In dica i i}i 

" Conium 18 2X 

" Digitalis .2 3 

" Nux Vomica, Ale 05 ^ 

Ext. Opium I 1)4 

" Stramon, Seed 05 ^ 

Fowler's Solution 4 6 min. 

Lead, Sugar of 06 9-10 

Mercury, Corrosive Chlor ... .03 9-20 

" Red Iodide 03 9-20 

Morphia and its Salts 03 9-20 

Nitrate Silver 03 9-20 

Oil, Croton 06 9 10 

Opium 15 2X 

Phosphorus 015 2-9 

Potassa, Arsenite 005 1-13 

" Cyanide 03 9-20 

Santonine i l>^ 

Soda, Arsenite 005 1-13 

Strychnia and Salts ....... .01 1-6 

Tartar Emetic 2 3 

Veratria 005 1.13 

Veratrum Viride 3 4)4 

Zinc, Chloride 015 2-9 

" Valeriante 06 9-10 




MEDICINE CHEST. 



For the fledicine Chest. 

The following household remedies are 
suggested for the family medicine chest : 

Castor-Oil, Essence of Ginger, Spiced Syrup of 
Rhubarb, Simple Syrup of Rhubarb, Camphor- 
water, Lime-water, Cinnamon-water, Paregoric, 
Spirits of Camphor, Spirits of Hartshorn, Lai"^- 



num, Syrup of Ipecacuanha, Syrup of Squills, 
Sweet Spirits of Nitre, Hoffmann's Anodyne, Chalk 
Mixture Powder, Compound Spirits of Lavender, 
Anodyne Carminative (Cholera Mixture,) Tincture 
of Arnica, Soap Liniment, Essence of Peppermint, 
Spirits of Turpentine, Collodion, Aromatic Spirits 
of Ammonia, Tincture of Capsicum, Aromatic 
Sulphuric Acid^ Y/iue of Colchicum, Glycerine. 



307 



64 



NURSING AND CARE OF THE SICK 



In many kinds of illness, especially con- 
tinued fevers, and other attacks attended by 
great debility, good nursing is well known 
to be as important as good doctoring. A 
careful physician will direct not only the 
medicines of the patient, but also his food, 
and all other matters concerning him — as 
his covering, changes of clothing, air in his 
room, etc. But the carrying out of such 
directions must be left to those immediately 
in charge of the sick person from hour to 
hour ; and questions will occur in the doc- 
tor's absence, sometimes of much import- 
ance, which those who nurse the patient 
must answer and act upon at the moment, 
from their own knowledge. Moreover, the 
viajiner of doing things in the care of a sick 
person makes an immense difference in his 
comfort. In critical cases it may even de- 
cide between recovery and death. 

Qualities of a Good Nurse. 

What are the qualities that make a good 
nurse? They are kindness, good common 
sense, carefulness, quietness, neatness, han- 
diness, cheerfulness. 

Kind a nurse must be, or mere profes- 
sional skill and obligation will fail to effect 
all that is needed for the best welfare of a 
patient. Sympathy is worth much to a 
sufferer. Paticjice is often called for in at- 
tendance upon the sick, and selfish people 
do not have a large stock of this, which can 
not be bought with money ; it must come 
from love, or, at least, from genuine kindness 
of heart. 

Common setise, that is, intelligence such 
as most people, not particularly deficient, 
possess, will enable any one to lear)i what is 
necessary in nursing, and to do it respect- 
ably, at least. 

Carefulness is indispensable. One who 
will give a dose of medicine without look- 
ing at the label on the bottle ; or will 
spill out twenty drops when ten were 
ordered ; or will upset a breakfast tray on 
the bed ; or leave a vessel under the bed for 
hours uncovered : or oversleep when the pat- 
ient should have food or medicine, or let the 
fire go out ; such an one is entirely unfit to 
have charge of a sick person. 



Exactness in carrying out the orders o) 
the physician is the first duty of a nurse. 
The doctor is responsible for the treatment 
of the case, and the patient and family are 
responsible for the choice of the doctor. 
The nurse, whether man or woman, whc 
thinks he or she "knows better than the 
doctor," is a very dangerous and unsuitable 
person to have about the house. 

Sleeping heavily is a weakness from 
which some suffer when in care of ill pat- 
ients at night. It is a good thing to learn to 
wake with a sound or a touch. By fixing it 
strongl}'- on the mind, most people can do 
this. A break-down may come, just at a 
critical moment, then the family is left under 
a calamity which might have been prevented 
by proper consideration from the start. 

Watchfulness in everything is the duty 
of a nurse. Without it, a patient may get 
out of bed in a delirium, and perhaps fall 
down stairs or out of the window. Or, the 
clothing may be thrown off, and a deadlj^ 
chill will follow. In a thousand things the 
life of the sufferer may be in the hands of 
the nurse, as the safety of the passengers 
and cargo of a ship is in that of the pilot at 
the helm . 

When many doses of medicine or por- 
tions of food have to be given through the 
day and night, it is best that the times and 
quantities shall be written down, instead of 
trusting to memory. And then, a mark of 
record of some kind being made when each 
thing is given makes ready a report of the 
treatment forthe doctor to see when he comes. 

Qtdetness is very necessary in the sick- 
room. Stamping around in heavy or creak- 
ing shoes, talking loud, swinging in a rock- 
ing-chair, slamming doors or windows, or 
even much rustling of garments ; all noises 
are utterly inadmissible and injurious. Yet 
whispering , and creeping on tiptoe in sight 
of the patient, are about as bad, because 
they attract his attention unpleasantly, and 
that is always to be avoided. 

Never ask a patient whether he would 
"like to eat or drink" such-and-such a 
thing. Prepare and bring, under the di- 
rections of the doctor, what will be best and 
most likely to be taken, and offer it quietly. 



308 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



If not taken in a little while, remove it out 
of sight. Keep no food or medicine in sight 
of a sick person. 

Neatness is a very similar quality to 
quietness. Nothing should be allowed to 
be slovenly, much less dirty around a sick 
person . Yet ' ' fuss ' ' and much movement 
in clearing up are to be avoided. A wet 
cloth will be better than a brush or broom 
in cleaning furniture and carpet. 

Handiness is an excellent quality in 
doing all sorts of things, in the sick-room, 
as well as everywhere else. While it is not 
absolutely indispensable, its opposite, clum- 
siness or awkwardness, may cause much 
discomfort. I have known one or two men 
who, in a surgical ward of a hospital, could 
hardly go near to a patient without some- 
how hurting him. 

Cheerfulness is an excellent attribute in 
the sick-room. It is as pleasant as sunshine, 
and wholesome like it, without any of its 
glare. A long face or a whining voice 
should never enter where there is suffering 
enough already. Let every one endeavor to 
make the best of all things, and the most of 
hope. When there is doubt, leaning toward 
the brighter side is well ; as the proverb 
says, " while there is life there is hope," 

Speaking of a patient's symptoms in his 
presence (unless when needful questions have 
to be asked) is to be avoided. Also, there 
must be no discussion or mention there of 
other people's illnesses or deaths. Much 
talking of any kind is out of place in the 
sick- chamber ; it interferes with that rest of 
brain which, in all kinds of illness, is im- 
portant. 

The Sick=Room. 

When it is possible to choose, the 
patient's room should be on the sunny side of 
the house, and on the second floor. It should 
be one of the largest in the house. If a room 
is necessarily small, more contrivance will 
be required to meet all the conditions 
wanted in the care of an ill person. 

Plenty of large windows are desirable in 
a sick-room. Should there unfortunately 
be only one window, it will be almost im- 
possible to air the room properly, unless 
there be an open transom over the door, or 
the door be left open most of the time. 



34 



309 



When two rooms communicate, one of them 
may with advantage be given up to the 
patient, and the other to the nurse and to 
various appliances, which may thus be kept 
out of the sick one's sight. 

There should be little furniture in the 
sick-room. A few chairs and tables will 
suffice, one being a bedside table for frequent 
use. A bed-chair (night-chair) or portable 
earth-closet will be very serviceable for a 
person who is strong enough to get or be 
helped out of bed. No carpet should be on 
the floor, except movable pieces or rugs, 
placed where they are needed for warmth to 
the feet and to prevent noise in moving 
about. 

No bed-curtains should be allowed ; nor 
heavy window-curtains. Good blinds or 
shades are needful to regulate the admission 
or exclusion of light. 

Warmth. 

A sick-room should, generally, be kept 
at a temperature betwen 68° and 70° Fahr. 
In a few exceptional cases, physicians may 
wish to have a room much warmer, at par- 
ticular times. When fuel is scarce, and the 
room is small, it will be best to secure good 
air to breathe, even at the loss of some de- 
grees of temperature in the room, this being 
made up by sufficient covering for the 
patient. But, in most instances, air may 
be, with care, kept pure and sufficiently 
warm at the same time. 

The best kind of fire for a sick-room is 
an open wood fire in the chimney-place. 
Next to that is an open coal-grate, with a 
good di^aught to secure it from escape of gas. 
If only a stove can be had, a wood-burning 
stove should be preferred. With a stove 
which burns coal, the greatest care will be 
necessary to prevent coal gas from getting 
out into the room, and also to keep the air 
moist enough by having water in a pan 
always upon the stove. 

Furnace -heated air is objectionable as a 
dependence in a sick-room, although very 
well to have within reach to supplement an 
open fire. The warmth of most furnaces is 
variable and uncertain ; some of them allow 
gas to get into their air-chambers, and 
so to pass through the house ; and, at the 
best, they require special pains to provide 



66 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



ventilation, which the heater itself does not 
furnish . 

For the body of a sick patient to be kept 
warm enough to be comfortable, is one of 
the quite indispensable things. It should 
be ascertained from time to time, especially 
about the feet. Blankets and quilts will 
not always insure warmth ; they only pro- 
tect it when the body has it of itself. When- 
ever a sick person'' s feet aj-e cold, something 
warm should be at 07ice put to them. A 
heated fire stone, or a common brick, or a 
bottle, or pan of hot water, or a bag of hot 
salt, will do. Only never let your patient be 
chilled, for a single minute, when it can be 
helped. 

Light. 

While the sunny side of the house is the 
best, and sunlight should be admitted (with 
few exceptions only) every day into the 
room, the sick person's eyes should not be 
exposed to a direct glare. The bed may be 
so turned that the window is out of the pa- 
tient's sight ; or, if this cannot be, a screen 
of some kind should be so placed as to shield 
his eyes from it. At times, when sleep is 
desirable, the light should be almost all shut 
out. At night, no flame of a lamp, candle, 
or gas-burner should be exposed to the pa- 
tient's view. Either should be shaded, or 
otherwise concealed. A gas-burner may, of 
course, be turned down ; and, besides, a 
movable tin burner-shade attached to it is a 
great convenience. Some persons, even 
when well, cannot sleep with the. flame of 
ever so low- turned a gas-burner in their 
sight. It is not safe, moreover, to turn a 
gas-burner very low. A change of pressure 
at the source of supply may put out the 
light, and allow a leakage of gas, dangerous 
to any one sleeping in the room. 

Air. 

In the sick-room the things to be done 
are, to have the air changed constantly, and 
at the same time to prevent direct draughts 
upon the patient's bed. If there are several 
windows, all but the one nearest the bed 
may be open a little at top and a little at 
bottom ; more or less according to the 
weather. In warm weather, of course, 
everything may be opened wide all the time. 



no 



With only one window in a room, sis 
already said, there ought to be another out- 
let for air, such as a transom over a door ; 
or, in the absence of this, the door itself may 
be left open. This will require attention to 
the air of the room, or passage, communi- 
cating by that door with the room. If the 
air of the house is foul, that will hurt the 
condition of the sick-room, when the door 
of the latter is left open. Yet, somehow, 
both an inlet and an outlet are needed, to 
change the air of the room. 

In very cold weather, when it is impos- 
sible safely to have (as is always best) a 
constant and considerable movement of air 
through the room, the next best thing will 
be to have chosen times of airing it thor- 
oughly. Cover the patient with extra 
blankets or coverlids, protecting even the 
head and face for the time ; and then open 
the window or windows and doors widey^r 
a few miyiutes. Upon closing them, see that 
the patient keeps his extra cover until the 
room is warm enough again. 

The Sick=Bed. 

Select a wide and rather low bedstead, 
for ease in getting in and out ; a wire bed- 
bottom ; next best to it, one on good springs, 
with a thick but soft mattress. No curtains 
should be placed around the bed, since they 
check the free and abundant supply of air 
to the patient. 

Pillows should be of full size, and as soft 
as possible. Extra little pillows are often 
useful, to put in spaces, in propping a patient 
up, to relieve some particular pressure. A 
sheet, as a rule, not a blanket, should be 
next to the body. The blanket first is only 
proper when the patient is very hard to keep 
warm, or when one quite ill is lifted into 
and out of a bath. A down quilt is the 
nicest top-piece ; its lightness is a great 
advantage. Some patients can hardly beat 
the pressure of the bedclothes. Over an 
inflamed or injured limb, it is often neces- 
sary to put a support to keep them off. 
This may be made by breaking a barrel - 
hoop in two, and placing the pieces across 
each other (fastened at the middle for steadi- 
ness) under the clothes. 

Cha7iging the bedclothes requires care, 
but it ought to be done often. When there 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



67' 



is likely to be anything to soil the bed, a 
large piece of rubber-cloth or oil-cloth 
should be put upon the mattress, beneath 
the under sheet. In cases of labor, a second 
rubber-cloth or oil-cloth had'better be placed 
upon the lower sheet, and another sheet 
over it, so that the 
latter and the upper 
rubber-cloth may be 
removed, leaving the 
bed still protected. 

Sheets, especially, 
ought to be changed 
often. When practi- 
cable, once in twenty- 
four hours will be 
desirable i n a 
severe illness. 
To make the 
change, warm a 
sheet thoroughly 
(being sure first 
that it is e7itirely 
dry ; a d a m p 
sheet may be 
deadly) , and fold 
i t lengthwise. 
Then fold, also 
lengthwise, one 
side of the under- 
sheet on the 
bed, up against the patient's side. Push 
the fresh- warmed sheet along near him, and 
have some one to lift, first his head and 
shoulders, and afterwards his legs and feet. 
Then, while he is lifted, press the soiled 
sheet from under and beyond him, and roll 
out the fresh one (half of it) to take its 
place. It will then be easy to draw it smooth. 
To change the upper sheet, the fresh one, 
being first warmed, may be rolled either in 
its width or in its length, and passed under 
the sheet already over the patient's body, 
into its place, without disturbing him at all. 
It requires two persons, one on each side of 
the bed, to do this well. 

BedsorkS are very troublesome occa- 
sional results of continued pressure, while 
one is lying long in bed ; they are especi- 
ally apt to occur in very thin and weak 
persons. Most of all they are liable to hap- 
pen when, from an injury or serious disease 
of some part, the patient cannot change his 

31 




AIR- OR WATER CUSHIONS. 



position from time to time. This is the case. 
with fractures of the thigh or leg. In such 
instances the utmost care must be taken to 
preserve the soundness of the skin where it is 
most pressed upon. It must be examinea 
every day, and bathed gently with whiskey or 
soap liniment. When redness and tenderness 
of the skin begin to appear, a protection to it 
must be supplied , by covering the part with a 
piece of soft, thick buckskin, upon which 
soap-plaster has been smoothly spread ; or, 
if that is not at hand, two layers of adhesive 
plaster, very smoothly adjusted to the surface, 
will do for the purpose. Small pillows, or 
air- or water-cushions, in rings or other 
shapes, are often employed to take the pres- 
sure off of tender parts. They may some- 
times do good ; but, in surgical practice, I 
have been repeatedly disappointed with 
them, especially with air- and water-cush- 
ions or pillows. When bedsores actually 
occur, is is necessary to relieve the sores 
from pressure ; and, besides, they must be 
treated like open wounds or ulcers. 

Sick=Qarinents. 

These should be as simple as possible. 
One sufficiently warm and long night-shirt 
or night-gown will, as a rule, be enough ; 
the less worn, the easier it './ill be to make 
changes. If the limbs incline to be cold, 
light drawers may be added ; with the old 
and feeble, stockings also. Changes of gar- 
ments worn constantly in bed should be fre- 
quent. One "robe" for the day and an- 
other for the night would be well, but for 
the fatigue of so many movements. 

There should be no exposure to cold dur- 
ing such changes. There need be none, if 
the room is moderately warm at the time 
(70° Fahr.) and the fresh garment is well 
warmed near the bed. One arm should be 
taken out of the sleeve it is in, and put in 
the new one ; then the old shirt should be 
lifted off over the head, and the new one 
put in its place ; lastly, the other arm 
should be changed and the shirt drawn 
down. When a long gown is ready to put 
down over the head and shoulders, the old 
one can be drawn off at the feet. 

If any garment becomes soiled, it must 
be removed as soon as possible. There are. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



oi course, some states of extreme debility in 
wnich it is not safe to move the patient so 
often as above said. But, by having gar- 
m.ents made loose, and cut or ripped if neces- 
sary to facilitate removal, the refreshment 
01 such changes may be obtained in more 
cases of illness than many j)eople suppose. 
When the disease from which a patient 
suflfers is contagiozts , as small pox, scarlet 
fever, measles or typhus fever, every article 
of clothing worn, as well as the sheets, 
blankets and bedding, must be (for safety to 
others) either boiled or burned. In malig- 
nant cases, or those attended by much soil- 
ing of the clothes, they had better be burned. 
In other instances they may be thoroughly 
boiled, and Ihen spread out in the sun to 
dry. 

Washing and Bathing. 

Kvery morning, at least, a sick person's 
face should be freshened up by washing, in 
whatever manner his strength best allows. 
One really ill must have it done by another 
person. A soft " wash -rag " may be used. 
The water may be cold, if there is fever, 
or if there is not prostration with a tendency 
to chilliness. In the latter case, warm 
water is better, even for the face. Warm 
should be used also to wash the arms and 
legs and other parts of the body. In weak 

conditions, whis- 
key may be 
added to warm 
water for bath- 
ing the limbs, 
and pure whis- 
key or soap lini- 
ment should be 
used to bathe 
any parts of the 
skin which are 
subject to pres- 
sure. This is 
often important 
to prevent bed- 
sores. If the 
skin is quite or 
almost broken, a piece of buckskin spread 
smoothly with soap-plaster, or a piece of 
elastic adhesive plaster, or even common 
adhesive plaster (two thicknesses) may be. 





HIP-BATH. 



A SIMPLE SHOWER-BATH. 



as already said, put on to make an artificial 
protective cuticle. 

When fever is hot and high, cool wash- 
ing of the body is of great value. Some 
physicians now advise even cold baths for^ 

typhoid fever. 
I do not think 
well of this 
practice ; u n - 
less, at alt 
events , the 
patient is put 
in water which 
is at first warm 
or tepid, and 
cooled down 
gradually; also, 
without expo- 
sure to a low temperature for many minutes 
at a time. 'Exxicool spongi7ig , in scarlet fever 
as well as in typhoid, is, without doubt, not 
only relieving but useful . It may be repeated 
two or three times daily. 

In cases of lozv fever, and other cases in 
which restlessness at night is a symptom, 
bathing the arms and legs (one at a time, so 
as not to chill by exposure) with whiskey 
and hot water (equal parts) often gives much 
comfort and promotes sleep. 

lVar»i balks are frequently beneficial in 
states of nervous excitement ; as in the con- 
vulsions of children. Prolonged warm baths 
are also advised sometimes for tetamts (lock- 
jaw), and to promote the reduction of her- 
nia (rupture). In spasmodic crotcp in chil- 
dren, a warm bath is often helpful. Hot 
baths do good in cold or depressed condi- 
tions of the system ; as in chronic rheuma- 
tism or neu7'algia ; and when the eruption 
does not come out or stay out well in scar- 
let fever, measles, or small-pox . 

Hot-air baths, sometimes called Russian 
baths, must be always taken with dry air, so 
as to allow of free perspiration and evapora- 
tion from the body. This so mitigates the 
effect of heat that many people can bear an 
air bath above 200° without inconvenience. 
Water baths affect the body chiefly ac- 
cording to their temperature. They may be 
divided as follows : Cold, 32° to 70° F. ; 
cool, 70° to 85° F. ; tepid, 85° to 90° F. ; 
warm, 90° to 96° F.; hot, 96° to 100° F. ; 
' vapor, 1 00° to 120° F.; hot air, i30°to250°F. 
12 



6q 



FOOD FOR THE SICK 




BED-TABLB (wiTH RACK) 



Appetite almost disappears in severe ill- 
ness, especially when there is fever; and 
Mie capacity to digest food is then nearly lost. 
It is best not to give large quantities, but 
beep up the nourishment of the body by 
giving strong, concen- 
trated food, in the 
liquid form, in small 
quantities, at short in- 
tervals. 

A young and ro- 
bust person may, at 
the beginning of an 
illness, be better for a 
day or two with almost 
no food. Feeble pa- 
tients need, as a rule, 
to be so fed from the 
start. 
The main staple article of diet for the 
sick is the same as for infants ; namely, 
milk. And for the same reasons ; that it 
contains all that is essential for the system, 
in a form easy of digestion and appropria- 
tion. In typhoid fever, for example, almost 
from the beginning, a patient may be fed 
with two tablespoonfuls of milk every two 
or three hours, day and night. Another 
concentrated article is beef- tea ; and stronger 
yet, beef-essence. The mistake has been 
very often made oi straining or filtering beef- 
tea, after it has been subjected to a boiling 
heat. Its most nourishing part is thus left 
behind. It ought to be brown with finely 
divided particles (not solid pieces, of course) 
of the meat. The same is true also of 
essence of beef, made without the addition of 
water. 

Nixt to these articles of food come 
broths or teas of other meats ; as tnution 
and chicken soups. They should, for the 
sick, be made strong, not watery ; but 
s^iould be thoroughly rid of their fat, by 
skimming. This can be most effectually 
done when they have stood and become 
cool ; but, except in the warmest weather, 
they should be heated again to be taken. 

Prepared extracts of beef are much in 
use, to save trouble in getting the fresh 
article ; but try to get those that have not 
been filtered, as filtering takes out most of 

■xo 3 



the nourishing part of the meat, and leaves 
rather a nutritive stimulant than a food. 

Any standard beef -juice ^hich. is prepared 
withozitboilifig^has the substance of the beef 
in a very concentrated state. Most people can 
take this very well. Two teaspoonfuls of it 
may be added to about a quarter of a tum- 
blerful of water (hot or cold, as preferred), 
this being given two tablespoonfuls, more or 
less, at a time. 

Johnson ^s fluid beef is agreeable to some 
persons, and, when so, answers a very good 
purpose. To my taste, it is unpleasant. 
Many physicians recommend it, and use it 
largely. Beef pepto7ioids are much used. 

fellies are weak food ; good only for 
variety, or to hold something stronger, as a 
matter of taste. 

Fruits are commonly pleasant during 
fever, but they are most of them rather too 
hard to digest. Malaga grapes will almost 
always agree well. Orange juice (without 
swallowing the pulp) does so also, and is 
often very refreshing to the sick. Lemonade 
is pleasant and cooling, but requires consid- 
eration of the condition of the stomach and 
bowels at the time. One of the best things 
to cleari 2ifoul tongue during fever is half a 
le7non, passed slowly over it now and then. 
Stimulants are often added to the diet of 
the sick , when patients are much prostrated 
or exhausted . Their use requires great cau- 
tion and judgment. As a rule, they should 
not be employed with- 
«at the advice of a 
ph^'-sician. Wine-whey 
and whisky-punch are 
most frequently ad- 
vised. They are most 
apt to be appropriate 
in typhus fever ^ in the 
weakest cases of ty- 
phoid fever, and in the 
date stages of severe 
acute diseases. Also, 
they may be called for 
in cholera, and in certain conditions which 
are met with in advanced or advancing con- 
sumption of the lungs. 

Convalescence is generally attended by 
the return of a good appetite and digestive 

13 




BED-REST 



70 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



power. The system has to make up for 
what it has lost during illness. Care is 
necessarj' that the patient does not venture 
too soon upon a varied diet, or the use of 
things hard of digestion. After typhoid fever, 
this is particularly necessary. From the 
special condition of the intestinal canal in 
that disease, life may be endangered at that 
time by a single imprudence in diet. Gradu- 
ally, however, after most diseases, recovery 
is marked by ability to eat all ordinary 
wholesome food, and a variety of digestible 
dishes may be indulged in, always, of course, 
avoiding excess. 

We shall now give directions for prepar- 
ing a number of articles especially suited for 
the food of the sick ; those, that is, who 
cannot properly take ordinary solid meals.* 
Different things are required for different 
cases. Of this the physician must judge, 
when one is in attendance. In his absence, 
those in charge must be guided by the 
symptoms and conditions present. 

Beef-Tea — Chop a pound of good lean 
round of beaf into very small pieces. Pour 
over it a pint, or less (never more) of cold 
water. Cover it, and let it stand for two 
hours near the fire, or on a part of the range 
or stove where it will not become very hot. 
Then put it right on the fire, and bring it to 
the boil. As soon as it is fairly boiling, re- 
move it, and take off all the scum from the 
top. Pour it off from the pieces of meat at 
the bottom, but do not filter or strain it, 
unless through a coarse sieve. Straining 
robs it of much of its nourishment. The fat 
must be carefully removed, which can be 
done best with a clean piece of blotting- 
paper, or a small (salt) spoon. Salt may be 
added according to taste ; when the stomach 
is weak, also black or red pepper. In the 
extreme weakness of delirium tremeyis, red 
pepper may h^ freely added ; a little of it is 
suitable in nearly every case where beef- tea 
is needed. Beef-tea should be stir-red just 
before using it , so as to get a rich brown color. 

Beef-Tea Cold-made. — Chop finely a 
pound of good beef. Add to it a pint of 



* To show that fluid food may suffice even for a length of 
time, I have just reaci an account of a man who died at the age 
i)f eighty-five years, who, when seven years old, swallowed by 
mistake some strong lye, the efFe'~t of which was to contract his 
oesophagus (lower gullet) so much, that he never afterwards 
tpuld swallow solid food 



314 



cold water, in which have been put fifteen 
drops of chlorohydric (muriatic) acid, and 
a pinch of salt. L,et it stand an hour, and 
then drain off the liquid. Pour another 
half-pint of cold water over the beef that is 
left, and add it to the first quantity. All 
may be then strained through a coarse sieve, 
and used cold. 

Frozen Beef-Tea. — Put a suitable por- 
tion of beef-tea, made as above first di- 
rected, in a convenient vessel, within an 
ice-cream freezer. Let it then be frozen as 
if it were cream. This is particularly suit- 
able in the summer complairit (cholera in- 
fantum) of children ; also in some other 
cases in hot weather. 

Beef Essence. — Cut up a pound of 
good lean beaf into small pieces, and put it 
into a pint bottle (or other handy recepta- 
cle), without any water. Cork the bottle 
loosely and place it up to its neck in water 
in a stewpan. Then boil the water in the 
pan for three or four hours. This will bring 
out the juice (essence) of the meat, which 
should h& poured off, not strained. The fat 
must be removed as with beef- tea. This is 
the most concentrated of all articles of food. 
It is often of the greatest value in conditions 
of prostration ; as a little of it goes a great 
way, while requiring almost no effort of di- 
gestion. Red pepper may usually be added 
to it in moderation, and salt according to 
taste. 

Broiled Beef Juice. — Broil a pound of 
lean beef. Cut it into strips, and press out 
the juice with a lemon-squeezer or meat- 
press. A pound of meat will give about 
three tablespoonfuls of "gravy" or juice. 
When salted according to taste, it may be 
taken either hot or cold, as preferred. 

Raw-Beef Extract. — Cut up good lean 
beef very fijie, and put a pound of it with 
half a pint of cold water in a bottle. Let it 
soak for about twelve hours, shaking it well 
half a dozen times or more during that time. 
Then pour it off through a coarse sieve, and 
salt according to taste. 

Raw-Beef Scrapings. — Take a piece of 
good tender beef, and, with a rather dull 
knife, scrape off all of it that will come, 
leaving the tough, gristly portions behind. 
The pasty meat thus obtained may be salted 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



71 



a little and used at once as it is, or it may 
be rubbed up with half its quantity of gran- 
ulated white sugar. The latter plan will be 
likely to suit children best. 

Good well-boiled ham (as well as dried 
beef) rnay be treated in the same manner. 
Infants recovering from summer complaint 
are sometimes very fond of such food. 

Chicken Broth — Clean half a chicken 
and remove the skin. Pour on it a quart of 
cold water, and salt to taste. Add a table- 
spoonful of Carolina rice, and boil slowly 
for two or three hours. Then skim it well 
to get off all the fat, and add a little parsley. 
This is one of the most agreeable of dishes 
for many sick people. 

Oatmeai, Gruel. — Boil a pint of water, 
and while boiling, mix with it two table- 
spoonfuls of (Canada, Bethlehem, or Ohio) 
oatmeal, which has been first rubbed smooth 
in a little cold water ; also, add half a pint 
of milk, and a little salt. Let all simmer 
together for half an hour, then strain it 
through a hair-sieve, sweeten, and add a 
little nutmeg. A few raisins may be added 
before the boiling. 

Indian- Meal Gruel. — Stir a table- 
spoonful of Indian meal till it becomes 
smooth, in half a teacupful of cold water. 
Then mix it well with a teacupful of boiling 
water, and add half as much milk : then boil 
it until it is moderately thickened. Salt or 
sweeten according to taste. Raisins maybe 
put in before boiling, if desired. 

Barley Water. — Wash well two ounces 
of pearl barley with cold water, throwing 
that water away. Put the barley into a pint 
and a half of fresh cold water, bring it to 
the boiling point, and boil for twenty min- 
utes in a covered vessel. Strain, sweeten 
to taste, and flavor with lemon-juice and a 
little lemon-peel. In certain cases, as in 
using it to feed infants, the lemon had best 
be omitted. 

Rice Water. — Boil an ounce of Caro- 
lina rice in a quart of water for an hour and 
a half. Pour off or strain, and add either 
salt or sugar and nutmeg, according to taste. 
Salt will generally be best. 

Toast Water. — Cut a slice of stale 
bread half an inch thick , and toast it brown 
all over, without scorching. Pour over it 
a pint of boiling water ; cgver closely, and 

31 



let it cool ; then pour or strain it off for use 
as a drink. Some patients like it better 
when a slice from an apple, and a very little 
lemon-peel, are laid on the toast before the 
water is added. 

Bread- and-Butter Soup. — Spread a 
slice of well-baked bread with good fresh 
butter, and sprinkle it moderately with salt 
and black pepper. Pour a pint of boiling 
water over it, and let it stand a few minutes 
before use. This will do for patients who 
are not very sick, as a soft article of low 
diet. 

Panada. — Cut two slices of stale bread, 
without crust. Toast them brown, cut them 
up into squares about two inches across, 
lay them in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt 
and a little nutmeg. Pour on a pint of boil- 
ing water, and let it stand to cool. 

Vegetable Soup. — This may be made, 
of course, in many different ways. The 
following is about the simplest ; put two 
potatoes, a handful of peas, one ripe tomato, 
and a piece of bread, into a quart of water, 
and boil it down to a pint. Then throw in 
a little chopped celery or parsley, and salt. 
Cover, and remove from the fire. A delicate 
stomach may require it to be strained for 
use. 

Boiled Flour. — Tie up a quart of 
wheat flour in a pudding-bag, tightly. Put 
it into a pot of boiling water, and keep this 
boiling for several hours (all day or all 
night will not be too long). Then take out 
the flour and dry it near the fire. Peel off 
and throw away the thin outer portion, and 
grate down the mass, with a nutmeg-grater, 
into a powder, for use as wanted. One or 
two teaspoonfuls of this may be rubbed into 
a paste with a little milk, and then stirred 
into a pint of milk, which is to be scalded; that 
is, just brought to the boiling-point, without 
being boiled. This is often beneficial in the 
diarrhoeas of infants or older persons. 

Arrow-Root. — Mix a tablespoonful or 
rather more with a little cold water, till it 
becomes smooth and pasty. Boil a pint of 
water, stir in the arrow-root, and boil it for 
a few minutes, until it thickens sufficiently. 
Sweeten to taste with white sugar, unless salt 
be preferred. A little lemon-peel or orange- 
peel added before boiling will improve the 
flavor. 



72 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Tapioca."- -Cover two tablespoonfuls of 
tapioca with a fiiU teacupful of cold water, and 
let it soak for several hours. Put it then into 
a pint of boiling water, and boil it Uxitil it is 
clear and as thick as is wanted. Sugar, 
nutmeg, lemon, etc. , may be used to season it. 

Sago Jelly. — Mix well together four 
tablespoonfuls of sago, the juice and rind of 
one lemon, and a quart of water. Sweeten 
to taste, let it stand half an hour, and then 
boil it, stirring constantly until clear. 

Farina Gruel. — Mix two tablespoon- 
fuls of farina with a quart of water, and let 
it boil long enough to become thick. Add 
a pint of milk and a little salt, and then boil 
again for a quarter of an hour, Sweeten 
according to taste. 

Rice Milk. — Boil a tablespoonful of rice 
for an hour and a half in a pint of fresh 
milk, then rub it through a fine sieve. Add 
a tablespoonful of fine (granulated) white 
sugar, and boil again for two or three 
minutes. 

Oatmeal with Beef-Tea. — Mix a 
tablespoonful of oatmeal quite smoothly with 
two tablespoonfuls of cold water. Add this 
to a pint of strong beef- tea, and heat to the 
boiling-point, stirring all the time. Boil 
for five minutes. Then remove from the 
fire, skim off all the fat, and serve for use. 

Other occasional additions to beef-tea, 
which will agree with all except the most 
delicate stomachs, are (though not both at 
once) raw egg and cream. 

Gelatine Food. — Soak for a short tiitie 
in cold water a piece of prepared gelatine 
two inches square. Boil it, then, in half a 
pint of water until it dissolves, which will 
take ten or fifteen minutes. Rub a tea- 
spoonful of arrow-root into a paste with a 
little cold water, and stir it into the gelatine 
water at the end of its boiling. Add also 
from six to twelve tablespoonfuls (accord- 
ing to the child's age) of milk, from one to 
four tablespoonfuls of cream, and a mod- 
erate amount of loaf-sugar. 

Imitation op Mother's Milk. — Ob- 
tain from a druggist packages of pure vtilk- 
sugar containing, eich, seventeen and three- 
quarter d. cchms. Dissolve one package in 
a pint of hot water. Mix together two 
tablespoonfuls of cream, one of milk, two 
of lime-water, and three of the milk-sugar 

3 



water. Warm this mixture, and add it to 
the pint of solution of milk-sugar in hot 
water. It is then ready for use. 

The packages of milk-sugar, while dry, 
will keep for a long time. The solution of 
it should not, in hot weather, be kept on 
hand for more than a day or two, at most. 

Egg Broth. — Mix two ounces of pearl 
sago in half a pint of cold water, and let it 
stand half an hour. Then boil it until it 
becomes smooth and sufficiently thick. 
Beat the yolks of four fresh eggs with half a 
pint of cream ; then mix with the sago, and 
stir the whole well with a quart of beef- tea, 
or chicken-broth, just made and at boiling 
heat. 

Egg with Wine. — Beat up a raw fresh 
Q^g^, and stir with it one or two tablespoon- 
fuls of sherry wine. This, as well as the 
preparations that next follow, is only suit- 
able where stimulatio7i is required, under 
the advice of a physician. 

Caudle. — Beat up a raw fresh ^•gg with 
a wineglassful of sherry wine, and add it to 
a half pint of hot oatmeal, Indian meal, or 
farina gruel. Flavor with lemon-peel, nut- 
meg, and sugar. 

Wine Whey. — Boil half a pint of milk, 
and while boiling add half a glass or a glass 
of sherry or Madeira wine. Strain off the 
curd through muslin or a sieve. Sweeten 
the whey to taste, and grate upon it a little 
nutmeg. 

Milk Punch. — Into a tumblerful of 
milk put one or two tablespoonfuls of 
whiskey, brandy, or rum. Sweeten, and 
grate nutmeg upon it. In some ve7'y low 
states of the system, punch may be directed 
by physicians made still stronger than this, 
even as much as a tablespoonful of whiskey 
to one of milk ; but the use of such a pow- 
erful means of alcoholic stimulation needs 
great skill and judgment. 

Koumiss. — This mildly stimulant and 
somewhat nourishing Tartar and Russian 
drink is made by fermenting mare s milk. 
It may be quite well imitated, however, by 
adding to a quart of coiv' s milk a teaspoon- 
ful of granulated white sugar, and a tea- 
spoonful of brewer's yeast, and leaving the 
mixture to ferment in a covered vessel or 
corked bottle. When this change has 
shown itself by the bubbles of eflfervesceace. 
i6 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



73 



it is ready for use. If kept for any time, 
it should be in strong bottles tightly corked 
(the corks tied down) and in a cool place. 

Roast Oysters. — Convalescents can 
sometimes relish and digest these sooner 
than any other solid food. Place a dozen 
fresh oysteis in the shell upon a moderately 
strong fire, and allow them to remain there 
until their shells open a little. Then take 
them from the fire, open them at once, re- 
taining the juice if possible, and serve them 
hot, with perhaps a little black pepper, and 
salt if needed. If the ' ' hard part " is at all 
tough, it had better not be eaten. 

To Keep Ice for the Sick. — Cut a 
piece of clean flannel about eight inches 
square. Put this (after making a small hole 
in the centre) over the top of a glass 
tumbler, pressing the flannel down to half 
or more of the depth of the tumbler. Then 
bind the flannel fast to the tumbler with a 
tape or cord. When ice is put into this 
flannel cup, lay over it another piece of clean 
flannel, three or four inches square. So 
covered, it will keep for hours, even in warm 
weather. 

FivOUR Food for Infants. — I^et from 
five to ten pounds of selected wheat flour be 
packed in a bag so as to form a ball, tied 
with a strong cord, and boiled with the 
water constantly covering it from four to 
seven days. The starch appears to be so 
changed that it is more soluble and more 
quickl)^ and easily digested. It is not neces- 
sary that the water be constantly boiled, 
provided that it remain hot or warm— the 
fire may go out at night. The same change 
may be effected by dry heat, the flour being 
placed in pans in the oven or on the stove, 
but it is very liable to be scorched by an ex- 
cess of heat. 

The flour removed from the bag and de- 
prived of its external portion, which is wet, 
resembles a piece of chalk, but it has a 
yellowish tinge. The flour should be grated 
from it as it is required for use, and sifted to 
separate the small lumps which are likely 
to be broken off by the sieve. The infant 
will be better nourished if instead of dilut- 
ing the milk with which it is fed with plain 
water, a thin gruel prepared by boiling a 
few minutes this flour in water, be employed. 



317 



Two heaped teaspoonfuls of the flour to a 
pint of water suffice for infants under the 
age of three months, three teaspoonfuls for 
infants between the ages of three and six 
months, and four teaspoonfuls to the pint of 
water after the age of six months. The pro- 
portion of the gruel to the milk should be 
the same as stated above when pure water 
is employed. 

Giving Medicines. 

No one who cannot read should pour 
out a dose of medicine. Bottles containing 
poisonous drugs should be labeled poison, 
and such should, when practicable, be kept 
apart by themselves ; and should, especially, 
never be left within the reach of children. 
Before pouring out or otherwise preparing a 
dose of medicine, look carefully at the label. 
No medicine should ever be kept in a bottle or 
other receptacle without a label. If a bottle 
which has contained one medicine is wanted 
for another, let it be thoroughly washed with 
hot water ; and, on putting something new 
into it, change the label at once. If there 
is any doubt about the medicine in a bottle, 
throw it away, do not venture to use it with- 
out being sure of its nature. 

After looking well at the label, before 
beginning to pour from th^ bottle, turn the 
labeled side away, so as not to pour over it ; 
as some drops are apt to run down on the 
bottle, and might thus stain and obscure the 
label so that it could not be read. 

Dropping medicine requires care and 
skill. To do it, moisten one edge of the 
top of the bottle with the contents of the 
bottle, and then, holding and tilting the 
latter in the right hand, with the left very 
slowly and cautiously withdraw the cork or 
stopper, until a drop rolls out. As this 
comes out, at once push the cork in, and 
then repeat the same process again and 
again , until the right number of drops has 
been obtained. 

To give medicine (or liquid food) to a 
patient too ill to be lifted up in the bed, a 
bent glass tube is very convenient ; and so 
are the half-covered spoons and cups sold 
by apothecaries. Glass vessels with the 
quantities marked on them are conveniept 



74 



ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES 



In all cases of accidents coolness and 
presence of mind are of the utmost conse- 
quence. Danger is increased by alarm and 
confusion. One who has his senses about 




ROrXING A BANDAGE. 



BANDAGED LIMB. 



him may, by simple and prompt action, in 
some instances, avert serious harm. 

Bandagijig. The purpose of bandaging 
is to retain certain parts of the body, or 
"dressings" upon it, in position, without 

318 



too much pressure ; or, sometimes, to maiu 
pressure for a time or even continuously. 

Material for bandages may be unbleached 
muslin, about as thick as that which is used 
for sheets ; or soft un- 
glazed linen. It must 
vary i n width and 
length according es- 
pecially t o the part 
upon which it is to be 
applied. For the chest, 
as for a fractured rib 
it should be about foui 
inches wide ; for the 
thigh or leg of a man, 
two and a half to three 
inches ; for the arm, 
two to two and a half 
inches ; if used for a 
finger.an inch in width 
will answer. The 
length may vary from 
a yard or two to five 01 
six yards in a roll. 

How to roll up a 
bandage is a matter of 
simple management. 
After doubling an end 
for a beginning, take 
it in one hand, between 
the ends of the thumb 
and fingers, with the 
rolled part downwards; 
holding the bandage 
then between the side 
of the forefinger and 
the thumb of the other 
hand, so that it may 
slide between the fin- 
ger and the thumb of 
that hand, as it is 
drawn and rolled 
up by the fingers of 
the other. In hos- 
pitals they some- 
times have a small instrument with which to 
roll bandages rapidly. 

Two rules are very important in bandag- 
ing. First, never make any bandage so 
tight as entirely to check the movement <ai 




REVERSING BANnAGE 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



75 



blood, unless for a short time (as witli 
Esmarch's rubber-tube compression to pre- 
vent hemorrhage in operations) to arrest 
bleeding ; and second, never so apply a 
bandage as to compress veins in a way to 
cause swelling below it. To fulfil the first 
of these rules, the feeling of the patient, and 
one's own common sense, will generally 
sufiice. In regard to the second, the neck, 
of course, must not be so bound as to inter- 
fere v/ith the return of blood from the head 
through the jugular veins ; and, when an 
arm, or any part of it, is bandaged, the 
hand also must be covered ; if it be the 
thigh, or leg,* all below it, including the 
foot, must be equally compressed. Other- 
wise, the parts below the bandage would 
swell up, and might, if so kept long, even 
mortify. 

When bandaging the forearm and arm, it 
is best to begin by passing the bandage 
around the wrist ; then turn it down over 
the hand and cover it ; afterwards go, with 
reverses, up the forearm, and, if necessary, 
the arm. In covering the lower extremity 
with a bandage, begin in like manner around 
the ankle ; next go around the foot ; and 
then, with reverses, up the leg. 

To apply a bandage to any part, take 
the bandage in the right hand, with the out- 
side of the roll held in the palm, and the 
thumb touching the part which is being 
unrolled, along the edge of the roll, inside. 
The left hand is then to fix the end, and 
succeeding parts, of the bandage in place 
where it is applied. Reversing is done to 
make the bandage lie smoothly on an uneven 
surface ; as the hand, foot, forearm, leg, etc. 
It is effected by turning the right hand 
which holds the roll, so as to obliquely dou- 
ble the bandage, for one or more turns, as 
required. A little practice will make this 
easy enough. 

Burns and Scalds. — Burns are caused 
by dry heat, or by something else than 
water ; scalds by boiling water, steam, or 
other hot fluids. The danger to life of either 
is in proportion to their extent of surface, 
and their depth. Even a superficial burn 
or scald will kill, if it involve so much as 
half, some authorities say two-fifths of the 
body. Death is then produced in two ways ; 
by the shock, and by the arrest of the ueces- 

31 



sary functional action of the skin. The treat- 
ment of burns and scalds is essentially the 
sam.e for both. 

What to do when one's clothes have caught 
fire, is important. Seize a shawl, rug, mat, 
coat, or overcoat, if any be within reach, and 
wrap it closely around the burning part. 
Or, if not, lie down and roll on the carpet; 
at the same time crushing the burning gar- 
ment with the hands. If one sees another 
person on fire, the same thing out to be 
done. A man's overcoat, or a rug, etc., 
may be thrown closely about the victim of 
the flames, who should be quickly laid down 
on the floor, so as to be covered more read- 
ily and entirely. The reason for this is, 
that the way to extinguish any fire, large or 
small, is, to shut out the air from it. 

When a person is badly burned, the 
shock to the nervous system is followed by 
prostration or collapse. There is great weak- 
ness, pallor of face, flickering pulse, short 
breathing, and coldness of the body. For 
this condition, opium, in the form of lauda- 
num (fifteen drops at once, repeated if neces- 
sary in an hour, until three or four doses 
have been taken) is a good stimulus. Small 
quantities of whiskey or brandy also, one or 
two teaspoonfuls at a time, may be given, at 
half-hour intervals, for a while ; to be with- 
held at once when signs of reaction come. 
Such signs are, strengthening of the pulse, 
warming of the skin, and return of color to 
the face. 

Applications for Burns. — For the burn 
or scald itself, there is no better application 
than lime water and oil (flaxseed, olive, or 
lard oil) mixed together in equal parts. lyint, 
if it can be had, if not, muslin or linen rags, 
should be well wet with this, and laid all 
over the burn. If the burnt surface be ex- 
tensive, over the lime-water and oil dressing 
put a layer of cotton wadding, for warmth. 
Should it be a small burn, put instead of this 
a piece of oiled silk, oiled paper, or rubber 
cloth. 

A burned hand or foot will obtain the 
best relief by being held in cold water for 
some time. A remedy for limited burns 
which has lately become popular is, a satu- 
rated solution of soda (sodium -bicarbonate). 
Other applications sometimes used are, sim- 
ple oil (lamp-oil, castor- oil. etc,), and 



76 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



powdered starch. But nothing is equal in 
effect to the " carron oil," as the mixture of 
lime-water and oil has long been called. 

When the sufferer's clothing covers the 
burn, it should be carefully removed by 
untying, unbuttoning, and cutting every- 
thing needful, so as to get all off without 
pulling or much moving the injured body. 
Raised water-blisters should be merely 
nicked to let out the water ; leaving the 
cuticle to protect the true skin underneath. 
Then apply the dressing above spoken of. 
If the patient reacts and does well, the lime- 
water and oil rags must be renewed when 
they begin to get dry ; taking them off with 
extreme gentleness, so as to disturb the 
parts as little as possible. After two or 
three days, a dressing of simple cerate ^ 
thickly spread on lint or soft rags, may be 
substituted for the oily dressing. Deep and 
extensive burns are sometimes very slow to 
heal, and leave ugly contracting scars which 
may require special surgical attention. 

Choking; Strangling. — These are not 
the same in causation ; but the danger is in 
both the same — stoppage of breathing by an 
obstruction in the windpipe. In choking, 
properly so called, the obstacle is within the 
throat; in strangling, it is from a cord, 
etc., outside of and around it; as in hang- 
ing. 

Choking is most frequently caused by 
getting something "the wrong way" in 
swallowing. That is, what should go down 
into the gullet or swallowing \\\xo-^\.(^ pharynx 
and (Tsophagus^ gets into the windpipe {la- 
rynx and trachea). The windpipe is just in 
front of the swallowing gullet ; the latter is 
next to the spine. When one laughs, or in 
any way breathes, while swallowing, this 
accident may happen. Even a drop of 
water going the wrong way, will cause a 
distressing spasm of the windpipe ; but this 
is over in a few moments. Danger follows 
when a solid mass — as a mouthful of meat, — 
slips into the larynx ; or when a large piece 
of meat gets stuck fast in the pharyiix 
(gullet) so as to press on the trachea (wind- 
pipe) forcibly enough to keep air from being 
breatned through it into the lungs. Com- 
monest of all, perhaps, is a fish-bone, or a 
chicken -bone, getting crosswise, so that it 



320 



neither goes up nor down. Other things 
may slip into the windpipe. 

No time is to be lost, when any one is 
choking. A long-fingered person should 
try to dip a forefinger at once into the 
throat as far as it will reach, to draw up and 
out the offending bone, or whatever it is. If 
it is a child, lift him up by the heels and slap 
him smartly, while in that position, between 
the shoulders. Children sometimes swallow 
pins ; they stick, as bones are apt to do, 
across the entrance to the throat, pretty far 
up. Surgeons have long slender forceps 
and other instruments with which to seize 
such articles and withdraw them. All such 
things, everything except a piece of solid 
food in the swallowing throat, should be 
taken out, not pushed down. If time allows, 
a piece of wire may have a loop made in its 
end, and then be curved near that end, so 
as to be passed down, behind or below the 
obstacle, to draw it out. A proof that the 
thing is in the windpipe is obtained if the 
person can swallow a drink of water, yet 
has great distress and difficulty in breathing. 
This difficulty is great in expiration (out- 
breathing) as well as in inspiration. A 
physician being sent for immediately, in an 
urgent case, fatal suffocation being threat- 
ened, may find it necessary to opc7t the 
larynx or trachea, by an incision, in order 
to save life. If the immediate danger be 
passed, the question of such an operation 
may still have to be considered, when a for- 
eign body remains in any part of the air- 
passages. 

Sti^angling is best known in the form of • 
hanging, which is a frequent mode of sui- 
cide. If any one is found hanging by the 
neck, hold up the weight of the body, and 
at once loosen the cord at the neck ; cutting 
it will generally be the speediest way, if a 
knife is at hand. Then lay the person 
down, and, with as much fresh air around 
as possible, dash cold water lightly on the 
face (if it be in a warm place, on the bare 
chest also). Rub the arms and legs briskly, 
especially tipwards, to favor the movement 
of blood in the veins, which is towards the 
heart, Heai'' a poker or flat-iron, not quite 
to a burning heat, but so that a hand can- 
not rest on it long with comfort ; and touch 
that gently upon the pit of the stomach, and 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



71 



then draw xi along down each side of the 
back. Apply mustard-plasters to the legs. 
But all these things should be got ready 
and done by the secondary assistant or as- 
sistants. If a person cut down from hang- 




ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION. 



ing does not breathe, he should be laid on 
his back on the floor or ground , wherever 
he is, without loss of time. A roll of cloth- 
ing, like a round knapsack, should be placed 
under his shoulders ; and then artificial 
respiration should be attempted, by Sil- 
vester's method. See Drowning. 

Drowning, — One whole minute under 
water will, except with a few practised 
divers, end life in a human being. Still, by 
active means, those longer immersed, 
as much as five minutes, have been 
restored. It is always worth while 
and right to give every drowned person 
the benefit of the doubt, and to work 
over him for at least an hour, even if 
no signs of life appear, before giving 
him up. Drowning kills by exclusion 
of air from the blood in the lungs ; 
water taking its place. This is said 
to be an easy mode of death. Those 
recovered from it describe it as a sort 
of dreamy sleep, followed by entire un 
consciousness. 

A person has been, we will suppose, a 
few minutes under water, and is dragged 
out. At once, on the spot, lay him first on 
his stomach, and raise his feet a little higher 
than his head, for a few moments ; some 
one at the same time pressing with moderate 
force on the sides of the chest. The object 



of this is to let v^2X&c fiow out, if it will, 
from the lungs. 

Next, lay the patient on his back, and 
put under his shoulders a roll of clothing, 
such as a rolled-up overcoat, a hard pillow, 
etc. Draw out his tongue, 
ywith a thumb and finger, 
and get some one to hold it 
until it can be fixed forward, 
to prevent it from falling 
back and closing the en- 
trance to the windpipe. 
For this fixation a small 
india-rubber band will be 
best. If none such is on 
purr-hand, a paper-cutter, g: a 
small stick, may be held 
upon the drawn-out tongue, 
pressing it upon the lower 
teeth. 

Now comes the effort to 
produce artificial respira- 
tion. Silvester's method is the best. 

Stand or kneel behind his head, and 
take hold of his arms just above the elbows. 
Draw them both gently and steadily up- 
wards, over and back of the head, at their 
full length ; and keep them there for a 
second or so. Then carry them back again 
to the patient's sides, and press the elbows 
firmly against his sides, for another second 
or so. Go on doing this, perse veringly, 




ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION 



321 



if necessary, for an hour or more. The 
object of it is, to promote expansion of 
the lungs to admit air, by the first move- 
ment ; and its expansion, again by the 
second movement. 

Meanwhile, another assistant should cut 
the clothing so as to remove it, rub the skin 
dry, and cover the body with warm flannel. 



7^ 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



The legs may be rubbed briskly, upward, so 
as to favor the return of blood in the veins 
to the heart. Smelling-salts may be now 
and then held for a few moments under the 
nostrils. If a fire be near, heat a small flat- 
iron, or a poker, or shovel, not quite to the 
burning point, but pretty hot, and touch it 
gently, again and again, to the skin over the 
pit of the stomach. This is a powerful 
mode of stimulation. 

When natural breathing begins, stop the 
arm movements. Continue the rubbing, but 
also have hot bricks, flat-irons, or bags of 
sand or salt, bottles of hot water, or any- 
thing else warm, laid alongside of the 
patient's body, and put to his feet. Get 
him now upon a bed. Shortly, he will re- 
cover so as to swallow ; and hot viilk or hot 
coffee or tea will be better for him than any- 
thing else. 

Ear, Foreign Bodies in.— So disagree- 
able is the odor of the natural ear-wax, and 
so sticky is it to insect's feet and the bodies 
of grubs or worms, that they very seldom 
find their way into any one's ear ; even 
when sleeping on open ground or in the 
woods. Once in a great while such a thing 
may happen. To get an insect out, let the 
person lie on the other side, and let some 
one pour in, slowly, cold water. Alarm 
may then cause it to back out ; if not before 
long the water will drown it. Then the 
larger part, or the whole (if it be not too 
soft) may be got out with a pair of ear-picks, 
or with a hair-pin bent into a scoop at its 
round end, or a piece of wire bent at one 
end into a small loop or ring. Particles still 
left can be washed out with warm water 
injected from a small syringe. 

Children sometimes put peas into their 
own or one another's ears. Then, water 
should not be poured in ; it would make 
the pea swell up and give more trouble. 
Careful use of an ear pick or bent wire (as 
above), with a strong light thrown upon 
the ear -passage, will generally succeed in 
getting the pea out. A large hand-magni- 
fier, such as is often used to look at engrav- 
ings, etc., will help in this efi"ort. If a shot 
has been put into the ear, pour in a tea- 
spoonfui of olive or almond oil, and then 
let the child be turned rather suddenly over, 
so as to cause the shot to roll or slide out. 

32 



Eye, Foreign Bodies in. — Small parti- 
cles, of sand, dust, cinders, from a locomo- 
tive, etc., often get under the upper or 
lower eyelid ; most frequently the latter. If 
the particle be very small, closing the eyes 
and blowing the nose hard several times, 
rolling the eyeballs at the same time, will 
be apt to work it, by aid of the flow of tears, 
to the inner corner of the eye ; where it can 
be easily removed. To relieve another per- 
son of such an annoyance, first make sure 
where it is. Open the eye in a strong light, 
and draw down the lower lid. Use a magni- 
fying glass, if one can be got (a good thing 
always to have in a house). If you see the 
speck, a camel' s-hair pencil (small paint- 
brush) will be the best thing to get it out 
with. Draw the brush backwards against 
it ; don't push at it with the point of the 
brush. If there is no such brush at hand, 
the corner of a soft handkerchief may be 
used instead. 

Should nothing be found under the lower 
lid, you must look under the upper one. 
Seat the person on a chair, and stand behind 
him ; then, with his head leaning back, 
hold a lead-pencil or pen-holder in the right 
hand, and, drawing out the upper lid by its 
lashes, the patient looking downward, you 
lay the pencil along the lid and turn the 
latter up ov'er the pencil. It is not difficult, 
with a little confidence, to do this with a 
finger instead of a pencil, and standing in 
front of the patient. While the lid is turned 
up, look closely to find the intruding parti- 
cle, and remove it with a brush or a hand- 
kerchief, as above described. The eyes 
must then be kept at rest, closed for a while, 
to get over the disturbance; otherwise 
a troublesome inflammation may result. 
Quite often, when there has been a particle 
in the eye, but it has been rubbed out, there 
will still be left 2^ feeling, exactly as if it was 
still there. When this is the case, a careful 
examination showing it to be so, the irrita- 
tion will gradually disappear, if the eyes are 
kept quiet. 

Pieces of stone or iron sometimes fly into 
the eyes and lodge in the front of the ball. 
Their removal will require surgical skill. A 
powerful magnet may assist in getting out a 
fragment of steel or iron from the eye. 

After all, to get a movable particle out of 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



79 



ane cJ eye, the best way in most cases will 
be for the person to open both eyes in a 
basin of clean cold water ;- moving the head 
once or twice from side to side while they 
are open, so as to wash the particle out of the 
e5'e. 

Fainting. — One who faints, falls, unless 
held up, as when standing or sitting up in a 
crowded place. But not every fall is faint- 
ing. It may be an epileptic fit ; but then 
the patient is convulsed; that is, his limbs, 
and perhaps the muscles of his face, jerk. 
There is a modified form of epileptic attack, 
not common, in which the sufierer lies still ; 
In that, however, the pulse is not so weak 
as in syncope or fainting. 

One attacked with apoplexy falls ; but 
tiis flushed (or at least not pale) face, warm 
or hot head, slow and full pulse, and slow, 
snoring breathing, make the case clear. An 
intoxicated person, or one stupefied with 
opium, may be found lying unconscious. 
The odor of liquor in the former, ana the 
contracted pupils of the eyes of the latter, 
usually serve for distinctions. (Odor of 
liquor on the breath, however, does not 
prove that the person may not have apo- 
plexy as well as intoxication.) 

In a faint, the face is pale, the forehead 
cool or cold, the pulse absent or extremely 
weak, the breathing noiseless and feeble. 
Once in a while we meet with mixed 
attacks ; almost always in those whose 
hearts have undergone some degenerative 
change ; in which there is a partial stupor, 
perhaps with snoring breathing, along with 
the other signs of fainting. Such an attack 
differs from apoplexy in that it soon passes 
off, and leaves no palsy after it. But such 
spells are comparatively rare. 

Fainting is most common in young 
women ; next so, in weakly old people o± 
either sex. In these last it is most danger- 
ous, and may in them easily end in death. 
What happens in a faint is this ; the heart 
gives out, and sends no fresh blood to the 
brain ; the brain fails, therefore, to maintain 
consciousness, and the person falls. This 
fall is advantageous, because it causes more 
blood to flow to the brain, and, conscious- 
ness being renewed, the heart also having 
less laborious work when the body is level, 
all starts again. A crowded and close room 



is a frequent place for fainting. Fright, the 
sight of blood, and other mental causes, as 
well as fatigue, may produce it, in those lia- 
ble to it. Some persons never faint, through 
a long lifetime ; others do so often, even on 
very small occasions. 

What to do for fainting? Lay the person 
down at once. Get the crowd, if there be 
one, to move away. Open the windows, 
or carry the unconscious patient (horizon- 
tally) out into the fresh air. Sprinkle cold 
water on the face ; loosen everything about 
the neck and chest ; hold smelling-salts, for 
a moment at a time, under the nostrils. An 
ordinary syncopal attack will thus soon pass 
away. 

Fractures — Broken Bones. — Most fre- 
quently broken is the radius; the thumb- 
side bone of the forearm, which is most 
closely connected with the hand. We may 
break it by falling on the hand with force. 
In the same way also the ulna may be frac- 
tured ; the other bone of the forearm. Next 
often broken is the bone of the arm (hume- 
rus) above the elbow ; and frequently also 
the clavicle^ or collar-bone. After these 
(besides fractures Qi\}ci& fingers^, come frac- 




BROKEN ARM IN SPLINTS 



323 



tures of the larger bone of the leg {tibia ^ 
shin-bone) below the knee ; the thigh-bone 
{femur) ; of the ribs ; of the knee-pan ; and 
of the nose, lower jaw, and skull. 

We know a bone to be broken by the 
change in its shape ; the pain caused by 
every movement ; and the crackling noise 
(not loud), and crackling feeling to the 
touch, produced when the parts are moved. 
A broken limb is generally shortened ; the 
muscles above and below the place of frac- 
ture drawing the two pieces so as to overlap 



8o 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



each other. When the break is near a joint, 
it is sometimes difficult to be sure whether 
there is a fracture or a dislocation. This 
difficulty is much increased when swelling 
and inflammation follow, some hours after 
an injury. In examining to determine a 
change of shape in a limb, always compare 
it with its own fellow, on the opposite side 
of the body. The two are almost sure, when 
riound, to be alike ; and if not so after one 
is hurt, this will help us to an understand- 
ing of the case. There is a change of shape 
also in dislocations ; but in them the bones 
cannot be moved 
without great resist- 
ance ; there is no 
crackling (crepita- 
tion) heard or felt ; 
and when the bone 
is put back in its 
right place, it will 
stay there. 

The most serious 
fractures are those 
called compound 
fractures ; in which 
there is a wound of 
the flesh, communi- 

FINGKR BANDADE, AND F-GURK CatiUS" W 1 t ll t h 6 

broken ends of the 
bone. Sometimes one end of a fragment is 
forced quite out through the skin. 

In the trcatmefit of fractured bones, the 
two aims are, to get the broken parts into 
their right places again, and to keep them 
there until they ' ' knit together. ' ' This 
takes place by a natural process of growth, 
exactly like that by which a wound is healed 
on the surface of the body. A thick color- 
less '^\x\^, plastic lymph, is poured out around 
and between the ends of the fragments 
of the broken bone. Gradually this 
fluid is, between those fragment-ends, 
changed to gristle (cartilage) ; and, in 
time, that gristle becomes solid bone. 
In one bone, when broken, the k7iee- 
pan {patella), it seldom gets beyond the 
stage of gristle or cartilage ; because 
that bone, from its situation, receives 
little blood to enable it to grow or repair so 
well as other parts. 

Putting a broken bone back to its right 
shape is called "setting" the bone. This 




too 



is done, in most instances, by streiching the 
limb, so as to overcome the shortening 
action of the muscles ; and at the same time 
adjusting the fragments by proper pressure 
near the place of fracture. After this has 
been effected, as nearly as possible, some 
means are needed to hold the parts in the 
same position. For this, splints, bandages, 
adhesive plasters, etc., are used. No unpro- 
fessional person should venture, if avoida- 
ble, to carry out the treatment of a broken 
bone without the aid and direction of a 
surgeon. 

Joints, Sprained — Any of the joints 
maybe wrenched or sprained, without actuai 
displacement. This happens often with the 
ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, etc. The 
ligaments are then stretched, and some of 
their fibres may be torn or broken. Hence 
follows more or less inflammation, and 
lameness until the ruptured ligaments have 
time to heal again. Since the "fibrous 
tissue ' ' of which they consist has only a 
low grade of vitality, and not much blood 
is given for nourishment of the joints, this 
process" of repair in them is slow. A sprained 
ankle or knee may be longer in getting well 
than a broken leg would be. At least this 
is apt to be the case unless the sprained 
joint has given to it the best chance possible 
from the first. This is to be had by the 
patient giving up to rest it completely as 
soon as it is hurt. This inflammation may 
be averted or kept low, and a moderate 
sprain may get well in a few days. 

Nail, Splinter under. — To get out a 
splinter which is ben«^ath the nail, pare the 
nail carefully, over the splinter, makmg a 
narrow groove, until its upper end is ex- 
posed. Then, with a pair of small nippers 




BANDAGE AND SPLINT ON LEG 



or tweezers, or less easily with a thumb and 
finger, one may seize and draw it out. 
When a nail is injured or destroyed, it 
grows from above, that is in the direction 
of the length of the finger or toe, downwards 
324 



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THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



8i 



or forwards. This can easily be observed 
on watching the change of position of marks 
made and left by the injury, as the nail is 
gradually restored. 

Needle penetration. — A needle gives 
almost no pain in entering the flesh any- 
where ; and it may slip about and be pushed 
by the muscles in various directions, so as 
to come near or through the surface far 
from where it entered. If a needle should 
happen, in such wanderings, to reach the 
heart, it would no doubt so affect its move- 
ments as to cause death ; but that is ex- 
tremely unlikely to happen. Still, nobody 
wishes to have even so small and smooth a 
thing slipping about in his body. If a 
needle, or part of a broken one, is known to 
enter the skin, a doctor had better be asked 
to try to get at it, if it has not already 
passed beyond being reached by a small in- 
cision. The same may be said of bits of 
broken glass. If not seen and removed 
when first getting in, they may remain a 
long time without much irritation or dis- 
turbance. 

Nose, Foreign Bodies in. — Children 
now and then push peas, small marbles, 
etc., into their own or one another's noses. 
il the intruding thing be not very large, 
blowing the nose very hard, while the other 
nostril is closed by pressure, may force it 
out. If not, a piece of wire (a hairpin will 
do) may be bent so as to form a small round 
loop at its end, and this (first being oiled) 
may be gently pushed up around and behind 
the offending object, to draw it down. 
Should this not succeed, the aid of a sur- 
geon must be obtained, who will use slender- 
bladed but strong forceps, made for such 
emergencies. 

Swallowing indigestible things gives 
alarm in many cases where there is little 
danger of real injury. Pins are apt to 
be swallowed when held in the mouth, 
v^hich is a very imprudent thing to do ; but 
they will more often stick across the upper 
part of the throat than go down. (See 
Choking.) When a pin is actually swal- 
lowed, there is reason to believe that it is 
almost sure to find its way at last through 
the bowels and out with the discharges. If 
a horn button, or a piece of india-rubber, or 
a marble, is swallowed, it will be pretty sure 



35 R 



325 



to take the same course in time. None of 
those things are poisonous. A metal but- 
ton, however, as one of brass, or a copper 
coin, as a penny, is much worse. Such a 
thing may pass safely through ; but if it 
stays in the stomach or bowels, gradually 
corroding, it will poison the system, per- 
haps, fatally. From such a result, no medi- 
cal skill can provide escape ; unless, when 
such a thing is known at the time to have 
been swallowed, prompt dosing with an 
emetic will bring it up with vomiting. A 
teaspoonful of powder of ipecacuanha, or a 
teaspoonful of syrup of ipecac, repeated in 
ten minutes if necessary, and followed by a 
large drink of warm (not hot) water, will 
answer for this purpose. If no ipecac, is at 
hand, a tablespoonful of salt, or a teaspoon- 
ful of mustard, in a teacupful of warm 
water, will do. 

It is not worth while to give an emetic 
on account of the swallowing oi non-poison- 
ous indigestible solids. Nor is it best to 
give, on their account, an immediate dose 
of purgative medicine. Let the person eat 
rather heartily of soft food, as mush, pud- 
ding, tapioca, etc. ; and the next day, if the 
bowels are not fre^, he may take a moderate 
dose of castor-oil. While, however, sucb 
things, in a majority of cases, do no con- 
siderable harm, exceptions to this do occur. 
On the whole, it is well to use our senses of 
touch, taste, and sight carefully, knowing 
what is in the mouth always before we swal- 
low it. Among other things, when eating 
canned vegetables, fruit, etc., take care not 
to swallow bits of soldering metal, such as 
now and then become ijosened in the can. 
As these contain lead, they may produce 
lead poisoning. This has been known tc 
happen. 

Wounds. — These may be either Bruised, 
Crushed, Cut, Lacerated (torn) , Penetrating. 
or Poisoned wounds. 

Bruises are familiar to everybody. If 
the blow or fall has been of such moderate 
violence as to injure only the surface of the 
head, body, or limbs, it is not a serious 
matter. Some blood will be forced out of 
the small vessels ; swelling and discolor- 
ation will follow. It will be first red, then 
almost black and blue, and at last dull yel- 
low or yellowish-brown This is the history 



82 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



of a "black eye," or of a bruise of any- 
other part. Early use of a soothing appli- 
ration will do the most good. There is 
nothing better for this than cocoa butter, or 
" camphor ice." Arnica has a reputation 
for bruises far beyond its desert. When a 
bruised part becomes painful, a cloth wet 
with lead-water and laudanum will be suit- 
able. Later, bathing with soap-liniment 
will hasten the absorption and disappear- 
ance of the blood-deposit which causes the 
discoloration . 

Crushed wounds are much more serious, 
often endangering life. Such, affecting the 





KSESSURE ON 
ARTERY OP AKM. 



SPANISH WINDLASS. 



head, will cause fracture of the skull. Fall- 
ing on the chest, ribs may be broken ; or, 
worse, the heart or lungs may be so pressed 
as to kill at once or shortly. When a limb 
is crushed in a railroad accident, it may be 
wholly or partly severed from the body. 
We might expect great bleeding in such 
cases ; but it does not occur ; the arteries 
are paralyzed, and bleed little or none, even 
when torn across. The immediate danger 
then is from shock, going down into fatal 
collapse. When this is recovered from, the 
injured limb must be dealt with according 
to the methods of surgery. Amputation is 

R Pros - 



often called for ; the damage being too 
great for the limb to be possibly saved. 

Shock constitutes the greatest immediate 
danger in all crushing injuries. Afterwards, 
there may be inflammation (or perhaps 
mortification) of internal organs involved ; 
lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, peritoneum, 
etc. Such cases will require perfect rest in 
bed, with treatment which can only be 
judged of by an experienced practitioner of 
medicine or surgery. Tetamis (lockjaw) 
occasionally follows a crushing injury. 

Cut wounds are dangerous at first 
through bleeding. Bruised, crushed, and 
torn wounds bleed, 
as a rule, very lit- 
tle. Much differ- 
ence exists as to 
what is cut in an 
incised wound. If 
only small vessels, 
the capillaries, are 
divided, the blood 
flows steadily, of a 
moderately red 
color, being a mix- 
ture of arterial and 
venous blood. If 
a vein is cut, the 
flow is steady, and 
the color of t h e 
blood is dark-r^di, 
almost blue-black 
or dark purple. 
When an artery has 
been cut, bright 
red blood comes out 
in jets, timing with 
the pulsation of the 
heart in pumping blood through the arteries. 
Whatever the source of a flow of blood 
from a cut wound, we should endeavor 
(after cleaning out, best with a stream of 
cold water, any foreign bodies in it) to stop 
the hemorrhage by putting and holding the 
edges of the wound together. Pressure may 
then be added, so far as needful and avail- 
able. Over a solid bone, as the skull, this 
will always be practicable. Bleeding even 
from a divided artery of the scalp can al- 
ways be checked, by firm pressure on the 
vessel against the bone. A compress may 
be made by folding up a fragment of 
26 




PRESSURE ON ARTERY OF 
THIGH 



TtlE FAMILY DOCTOR 



H 



handkerchief, or rag of muslin or linen, into 
a thick piece an inch square. Laying this 
right over the source of the bleeding, it may 
be kept in place by the firm application of 
a bandage around the head. 

To stop bleeding from a vein, large 
enough to be seen, when pressure at the 
wound will not do it, the rule is to press 
iust below the wound ; -that is, on the side 
farthest from the heart; as the blood flows in 
the veins front the extremeties towards the 
neart. 

When an artery bleeds, and pressure at 
the wound fails or cannot be applied, press- 
ure must be applied above the wound ; that 
is, on the sid<i nearer to the heart ; the 
course of the blood in the arteries being 
from the heart. 

Lacerated wounds are those which are 
torn ; as by machinery, or bites of dogs, 
horses, or other beasts, etc. They are irreg- 
ular in shape, seldom bleed much, but often 
inflame, sometimes mortify, and hardly ever 
heal ' ' by the first intention. " Machinery in- 
juriesmay be dreadful in character ; a whole 
limb being torn off at once ; or a hand or a 
foot torn to pieces. Such may be speedily 
fatal by shock ; or their results may entail a 
tedious and uncertain struggle for life ; at 
least when an arm or a leg is badly lacerated. 
Erysipelas is one of the dangers attending 
such injuries ; tetanus (lockjaw), another ; 
septiccemia (or pycemia) , another. 

Besides what may be needful on account 
of the general shock to the system , lacerated 
wounds require to be carefully cleared of all 
fragments of foreign bodies, dirt, etc., and 
then protected from the air by a proper 
dressing. To cleanse such a wound, a 
stream of water should be allowed to flow 
over it from a clean sponge, dipped in warm 
water and squeezed . above the wound. 
Water-dressing agrees well with such in- 
juries. Double a piece of lint or soft linen, 
and squeeze it out of clean tepid water or 
clear lime-water. I^ay this upon the wound , 
and cover it with a piece of oiled silk, oiled 
paper, or thin rubber-cloth. Bandage it on 
the part with just enough firmness to pre- 
vent its being displaced. Such a dressing 
will have to be moistened at least twice a 
day, and had better be changed once in 

3 



twenty-four hours ; disturbing the wounded 
surface each time as little as possible. Be- 
fore the dressing is reapplied, sprinkle iodo- 
form powder lightly over it. This is anti- 
septic and promotes healing. 

Penetrati7ig wounds .may vary much; 
from piercing with a pin to a bayonet, sword, 
or bullet wound. Even a needle or large 
pin may be forced into the heart, so as to 
cause death. Kvery one receiving a severe 
penetrating wound, of any part of the body, 
must be kept in a condition of complete 
rest, awaiting results which need to receive 
the best professional attention, to meet the 
dangers, seen and unseen, belonging inevi- 
tably to such injuries. 

Poisoned woviv^di^. These are seldom met 
with, even in war, amongst civilized nations, 
except by unintended causation. This may 
happen especially to physicians and sur- 
geons, in their operations, and to medical 
students in the dissecting-room. Matter 
from dead bodies, or from diseased living 
ones, introduced even into the slightest 
scratch with a knife, needle, or pin, may so 
taint the blood as to produce a dangerous 
illness. Not a few physicians have suffered 
a fatal result from pricking a finger in a 
post-mortem examination, "^o prevent such 
results (besides care to avoid letting an 
abraded or punctured part come in contact 
with morbid matters), as soon as such a 
thing has happened, the part should be im- 
mediately washed and sucked, and then kept 
out of the way of further danger. 

In the treatment of poisoned wounds, 
there is nothing different from that of those 
which are peitetraiing or lacerated, unless 
the wound is made by rabid animals or by 
venomous serpents. For either of these last, 
im7nediate suction is a right precaution ; and 
at the same time a tight cord around the arm 
or leg, if either extremity has been bitten ; 
then the end of an iron wire or rod, heated 
red hot, or a piece of caustic potassa, should 
be made to burn out the part ; or a pinch of 
gunpowder may be exploded t»pon it. All 
these severe measures are designed to pre- 
vent the poison from getting, through the 
blood-vessels, into the system. Although 
not more, probably, than one in ten of those 
bitten by mad dogs have hydrophobia, that 
one will incurably suffer a dreadful death. 
27 



84 



POISONS AND THEIR ANTIDOTES 



Poisons are of several kinds : Animal, as 
snake-venoms and cantharides ; Vegetable, 
as opium, strychnia, tobacco ; Mineral, as 
arsenic and corrosive sublimate. But a 
more useful classification of them is accord- 
ing to their effects : as Depressants, Irri- 
tants, Neurotics, and Complex poisons. 

Depressants are prussic (hydrocyanic) 
acid, tobacco, lobelia, hemlock, and aconite. 
It is true, the effects of these, and indeed of 
almost all poisons, have some complexity ; 
but their chief effect is depression, sinking, 
prostration ; which, from a certain dose, is 
fatal. 

Irritants are strong acids, as sulphuric, 
nitric, hydrochloric, oxalic, citric, and tar- 
taric acids ; strong alkalies, as potassa, 
soda, and ammonia ; phosphorus ; corrosive 
sublimate ; tartar emetic ; salts of copper 




ACONITE ROOT. 

and of zinc ; castor-oil seeds ; colchicum ; 
croton-oil ; cantharides ; and certain fishes 
and molluscs (some mussels, etc.). 

Neurotic poisons either produce stupor, 
as do opium, chloroform, ether, chloral, 
hyoscyamus, and camphor (in excessive 
doses) ; or otherwise damage the nervous 



system, with ei*"her delirium, convulsion %, 
tremor, or paralysis, as strychnia (or nux- 
vomica), belladonna, stramonium, calabat 
bean, cocculus Indicus. 

Complex (Irritant-Neurotic) poisons are 
such as arsenic, carbolic acid, creosote, 
digitalis, ergot, fungi (toadstools, etc.), 
hellebore, iodine, bromine, lead, etc. 

Depressant poisons cause prostration, 
sinking : with paleness, coldness, feeble 
pulse, gasping breath, with or without 
nausea and vomiting ; all the symptoms of 
collapse. 

Irritant poisons produce burning and 
pain in the mouth, .throat, stomach, and 
bowels; with nausea, vomiting, and purg- 
ing ; an artificial cholera-morbns . 

Neurotic poisons have just been de- 
scribed as causing either stupor, delirium, 
convulsions, tremor, or paralysis. Complex 
poisons may combine several of either of 
these kinds of effects. 

So far, we have been considering pois- 
ons as taken into the stomach by the mouth. 
It must be remembered, however, that they 
may also enter the system by being breathed 
into the lungs ; injected under the skin ; or 
even absorbed from the surface of the skin 
(especially with children; a tobacco leaf 
has been so fatally used) ; or inserted into 
the bowels, etc. 

With these general remarks, we may 
now take up those poisons most likely to 
be met with, or heard or read about, alpha- 
betically, for ease of reference by the reader. 

Acids. As already said, strong acids are 
generally zVr//a«/ poisons. Hydrocyanic or 
prussic acid is a powerful depressant. The 
antidotes for acids are alkalies and alkaline 
earths; as soda, limewater, chalk, mag- 
nesia, and soap, etc. In like manner, acid*^ 
of the milder sort, as vinegar, lemon-juice, 
etc., are antidotes for poisonous doses of 
strong alkalies or alkaline earths, as caustic 
potassa, soda, ammonia, or lime. 

Aconite. All parts of this plant (Monks- 
hood, Aconitiim napellus) are poisonous- 
The only form in which any one is likely 
to take it injuriously is that of the Tinctun 



328 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



85 



of aconite root, in overdose (the proper dose 
is one, two, or three drops), or by mistake 
for something else. Death has been caused 
in this way : two bottles are standing by a 
patient's bedside, one containing a medicine 
to be taken internally, and the other a lini- 
ment for external application ; an attendant, 
by mistake, rubs a painful part with the 
medicine, and gives him a tablespoonful 
dose 01 the aconite liniment. 

Symptoms : burning, tingling, and numb- 
ness of mouth, throat, and stomach, extend- 
ing afterwards through the whole body ; 
sickness of stomach, dizziness, prostration, 
sometimes convulsions ; no delirium, no 
Stupor, unless in quite exceptional cases. 
Death, from a sufficient quantity, results in 
a few hours. L,ess than a half a teaspoonful 
of the tincture has proved fatal in some 
instances ; a teaspoonful will always be 
likely to do so, if left long in the stomach. 

Treatment. — There is no chemical anti- 
dote for aconite. Vo?niting should be pro- 
duced at once to get rid of it. In the house- 
hold, do not wait to send to a druggist, but 
give immediately a teaspoonful of mustard, 
mixed in a teacupful of warm (not hot) 
water. Repeat this in ten minutes, with 
large draughts of warm water, if vomiting 
does not follow. If no mustard is at hand, 
a tablespoonful of salt, in a teacupful of 
warm, not hot, water, will answer the same 
purpose. Then mix powdered charcoal, a 
teaspoonful at a time, in water, and let it be 
drunk ; and also very strong tea, freely 
taken, L,et the limbs be briskly rubbed 
with warm hands, and place hot bottles or 
bricks alongside of the body and to the feet. 
If other treatment is used, it should be only 
at the judgment of a physician, who should 
be summoned as soon as possible. This 
remark will apply to all cases of poi- 
soning ; and need not therefore be hereafter 
repeated. 

Ammonia. — This is the volatile alkali. 
It has the same chemical relations as the 
fixed alkalies, potassa, soda, and lithia ; 
but flies off into the air when exposed , re- 
quiring, unless dissolved, extreme cold or 
very good pressure to condense it. It is 
intensely pungent to the taste and to the 
breathing organs, and acts as an irritant 
■boison when taken in large quantities. Two 
31 32 



or three teaspoonfuls, at least, of the stronger 
solution of ammonia will be necessary to 
cause danger of a fatal result. Aromatic 
spirit of ammonia might have such an effect, 
if a tablespoonful or two were swallowed at 
once. Symptoms of such poisoning are, 
extreme burning and pain in the stomach, 
with nausea and vomiting, followed by col- 
lapse (deathly prostration), which may end 
fatally in a few hours. One case has been 
reported in which this took place in a few 
minutes ; another, after three days. Its 
being breathed freely hastens the effect. 

Treatment of poisoning with ammonia is 
like that for other alkalies. Give vinegar 
and water, or lemon-juice, quickly and 
largely. Afterwards, olive oil ; then milk ; 
or, if no sweet-oil is at hand, milk alone. 
The vinegar or lemon-juice combines with 
and neutralizes the alkaline ammonia. Oil 
makes a soap with it, which is innocent. 
Milk will then promote the required sooth- 
ing action, and will also nourish and sup- 
port the patient. 

Arsenic. — Both oy accident and through 
suicidal or murderous intent, this is one of 
the most frequently fatal poisons. Symp- 
toms of arsenical poisoning are complex. It 
is an irritant-neurotic in its action. About 
an hour after taking it, there are symptoms 
of faintness, heat of throat, thirst, and burn- 
ing pain in the stomach. Violent retching 
and vomiting follow, and the pain extends 
through the bowels, with straining and 
severe purging ; sometimes with bloody 
passages. Prostration soon results ; with 
coldness, small, frequent pulse, and great 
feeling of weakness ; not infrequently deli- 
rium, convulsions, or even stupor, will pre- 
cede death. In slower cases, headache, 
trembling and other distressing nervous 
symptoms are common. There is, however, 
considerable variety in the symptoms of 
poisoning by arsenic. Death results in most 
cases within twenty-four hours ; exception • 
tionally, but rarely, in an hour or less ; 
occasionally, after weeks, or even months of 
protracted suffering. 

Treatment. — If vomiting has not been 
already copious, give a teaspoonful of mus- 
tard or a tablespoonful of salt in a teacupful 
of warm water ; and follow this with large 
draughts of warm water, in which magnesia 



86 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



has been stirred and mixed. Magn.-^sia is at 
least a partial antidote for preparations of 
arsenic. The most effectual antidote is 
hydrated pe7'0xide (sesquioxide) of iron ; in 
large doses, in the moist state, and freshly 
made. This may be prepared by putting 
Tincture of chloride of iroti in water (quan- 
tity not of very great consequence, use 
plenty of it), and then adding aqua ainifio- 
nia (solution of ammonia or hartshorn). A 
thick powder will be thus precipitated ; — 
which, after washing it with clean water, 
may be given in tablespoonful doses as an 
antidote for arsenic. 

Carbolic Acid. — This is also called 
phe7tol. It is to coal-oil (petroleum) what 
creosote is to tar from wood. Symptoms of 
poisoning by either carbolic acid, kerosene, 
or crude petroleum, are those of an irritant 
narcotic. First there are burning of the 
mouth, throat, and stomach, pain in the 
abdomen, vomiting; then great prostration, 
faintness, coldness ; lastly, insensibility and 
stupor, ending in death. A tablespoonful 
of the liquid carbolic acid will be pretty sure 
to cause death, in from half an hour to eight 
or nine hours. In treatment of this form of 
poisoning, we must first use an emetic (mus- 
tard, salt, or ipecac, with plenty of warm 
water), and then give the patient large 
draughts of sweet oil. If that is not on 
hand, lime water and milk, freely given, 
will be likely to do good by shielding the 
coats of the stomach and bowels from the 
poison. 

Chloral. — Hydrate of chloral is the right 
name of this medicine, which is much used, 
especially to promote sleep. It is very un- 
certain in its action upon different people. 
While some are but little affected by drachm 
(sixty-grain) doses, others will be consider- 
ably narcotized by half as much. Twenty 
or thirty grains will be an ordinary medic- 
inal dose. Less than a drachm has been 
fatal in a few instances ; three drachms 
would probably almost always kill ; al- 
though some persons have taken much 
more with impunity. The syniptonis of the 
poisonous action of chloral are merely those 
of deep narcotism ; the victim cannot be 
roused, and sleeps away to death, in a few 
hours. Treatment of it, in the absence of a 
certain antidote, consists in the immediate 

3 



use of an emetic, followed by very strong 
coffee or tea ; dashing cold water on the 
face and chest ; if the padent can walk, 
moving him about, slapping the back and 
limbs briskly, etc., to keep him awake, as 
in opium-poisoning ; for last resorts, the 
galvanic battery and artificial respiration. 
A physician may carefully try the antagon- 
ism which probably exists between strych- 
7iine and chloral. 

Chloroform. — This liquid is much used 
in Europe, but less than ether in this coun- 
try, as an anaesthetic, by being breathed to 
annul the pain of surgical operations. It is 
more dangerous, by far, than ether or nitrous 
oxide, in this mode of employment ; and, of 
course, it should never be taken or given in 
this way by an unprofessional person. 
Syt7iptoms of chloroform poisoning are those 
of stupor, from which the patient cannot be 
roused. This may be preceded by signs of 
great irritation of the stomach ; as chloro- 
form is very pungent and heating when 
swallowed. T-eatme^it requires an emetic at 
once (see Aconite, Treatment^ ; and then, as 
there is no chemical antidote, dashing cold 
water on the face and chest, and, if it can be 
obtained, the galvanic battery ; as a last re- 
sort, artificial respiration. 

Copper. — While this metal, when pure, 
is not itself poisonous, its compounds are; 
and they are produced by the action on cop- 
per of the fluids of the stomach, or by acids 
and other materials used in cooking, pick- 
ling, etc. In this way copper poisoning 
sometimes occurs, as well as among those 
working in copper. Mineral water (car- 
bonic acid water, soda-water) dissolves cop 
per ; hence reservoirs of that metal, without 
any, or with only an imperfect, lining of 
something not soluble, ought not to be used 
for it. The compounds of copper most 
often acting poisonously are, blue vitriol 
(bluestone), the sulphate ; and verdigris, the 
subacetate of copper. In large amount taken 
at once, either of these will cause severe 
vomiting, pain in the abdomen, and purg- 
ing ; afterwards headache, and, in fatal 
cases, convulsions or paralj^sis before death. 
Sloiv poisoning will result from taking small 
amounts of copper daily, as in cooked or 
pickled articles, for a length of time. Symp- 
toms of this are, a coppery taste in the 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



87 



moutli, with parched tongue and throat ; 
nausea, i etching, perhaps vomiting ; pains 
in the stomach and bowels ; diarrhoea, with 
straining ; weakness, with nervous restless- 
ness ; dizziness, cold sweats, cramps, and 
at last convulsions. 

TreaUneoit for rapid copper poisoning (as 
it is' itself an emetic) should consist in giv- 
ing an abundance of whites of eggs ; albu- 
men making a harmless compound with 
copper. Milk may be given freely if no eggs 
are at hand ; its effect is of the same kind. 
For slow copper poisoning, the main thing 
is to withdraw the cause, in whatever thing 
or things it may exist. Then, a milk diet, 
with moderate doses of an opiate, as pare- 
goric, or small doses of laudanum, to 
assuage the pain and diarrhoea, will be suit- 
able. 

Corrosive Sublimate. — This, the chlo- 
ride of mercury, is a deadly poison ; three 
or four grains of it may kill a man. Symp- 
toms of its action are, in a marked degree, 
those of the irritant poisons; a metallic taste, 
burning in the mouth, throat, and stomach, 
pain in the abdomen, vomiting, purging, 
with straining, nervous anxiety, extreme 
prostration ; often convulsions, sometimes 
stupor, before death. Commonly, death 
does not result under one or more days ; but 
examples are recorded of its taking place 
within an hour after the poison had been 
swallowed. Treatment of corrosive subli- 
mate poisoning requires (as for copper) free 
administration of whites of eggs ; the more 
the better, until relief is obtained ; or, if 
eggs cannot be had, large and repeated 
draughts of milk. 

Fungi. — Mushrooms and Truffles belong 
to this group of plants ; both being largely 
eaten, and agreeing with most persons. 
Botanists inform us that there are many 
species of innocent and nourishing fungi ; 
but there are some, also, that are danger- 
ously poisonous. While, then, the geyieral 
rule is, that those whose color is not dark, 
nor taste harsh, nor odor disagreeable, are 
harmless, experiments are not safe in such a 
matter, when made by those ignorant of the 
kind they have found. The true eatable 
m,2ishroom, agaricus campestris, grows on 
open ground, has pijik "gills" or. frilled 
arrangement Tinderneath its crown, a small 



" rufQe " also on its stem, and a thin skin 
on top, which can be peeled off easily. The 
assertion made by some that even this plant 
is unsafe until cooked does not agree with 
my experience ; as I have often eaten at 
least a small handful of mushroom plants 
raw, without any injury. Still, they may 
under some circumstances be less whole- 
some, and cooking improves their flavor as 
well as secures their innocency. Symptoms 
of ' ' toadstool ' ' poisoning are those of irri- 
tant poisoning ; vomiting, purging, and ab- 
dominal pains ; with, also, dizziness, partial 
blindness, delirium, perhaps convulsions 
and stupor, at least in fatal cases. Gener- 
ally, the symptoms do not show themselves 
for a number of hours, if the h^ritant effects 
are most prominent ; but stupefying effects 
have sometimes appeared within an hour or 
two. 

No antidote for fungus-poisoning having 
been ascertained to exist, the proper treatr 
ment for it is, the use of mustard, salt, or 
ipecac, as an emetic, followed by charcoal 
and magnesia-water, and then stimulants 
(ammonia, whiskey, etc.), if required by 
great debility ; lime-water and milk for 
nourishment (later, beef-tea, etc.) ; and, if 
irritation and pain without stupor be pres- 
ent, careful use of moderate doses of some 
opiate, as paregoric or laudanum, to assuage 
distress and procure relief. 

Lead. — While metallic lead is not poi- 
sonous, many of its compounds are so. The 
one most nearly inert is the sulphate of lead. 
Hence sulphuric acid, and its salts, as sul- 
phate of magnesium, are antidotes for it. 
Sugar of lead (acetate of lead) and the sub- 
acetate, present in Goulard's extract, which 
are often used to make lead water, are some- 
times taken poisonously by mistake. Vio- 
lent vomiting and purging, with very severe 
pains in the abdomen, followed by prostra- 
tion have been the symptoms in such cases; 
death taking place (if the quantity was very 
large) in from one to three days. Treatment 
for such acute or sudden poisoning by lead, 
should consist in the use, if vomiting is not 
copious, of an emetic dose (twenty to thirty 
grains) of sulphate of zinc, followed by 
whites of eggs in abundance, milk, and 
moderate doses of sulphate of magnesium 
(Epsom salts); with waimth applied to the 



331 



88 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



body, and opiates (as paiegoric or lauda- 
num) to relieve pain when the most urgent 
symptoms have been overcome. 

Opium. — Sympto7ns of any kind of opiate 
poisoning are : in not very excessive dose, 
at first a short period of excitement ; in over- 
whelming dose, this is absent and the deep 
stupor comes almost at once ; with closed 
eyes, whose pupils, if the lids be raised, are 
seen to be contracted ; pulse slow and full ; 
breathing snoring (stertorous) ; face flushed 
and skin warm, until near the end, when 
pallor and coldness precede death. The 
slowness of the breathing in bad cases is 
very remarkable. The condition on the 
whole bears a close resemblance to apoplexy, 
dead dr2mke?iness, and compressio7i of the 
brain from fracture of the skull. In neither 
of these, however, are the pupils contracted 
as in opium-poisoning. Death usually fol- 
lows within from seven to twelve hours. 

Treatment of opium-poisoning calls first 
for an emetic; a teaspoonful of mustard, a 
tablespoonful of salt, or a teaspoonful of 
ipecac, in warm water, should be poured 
down the throat at once, if the patient can 
swallow. When this is not possible, a phy- 
sician will use a stomach-pump. Also, cold 
water should be dashed upon the face, and 
the patient's body may be slapped vigor- 
ously, or, if he can, he may be made to 
walk about ; anything to keep him awake, or 
from sinking into the fatal degree of lethargy . 
Phosphorus,— This substance, a small 
portion of which is always naturally present 
in our brains and in our bones, is, when in 
the separate state, a most destructive poison. 
It acts rapidly ; when, for example, ends of 
lucifer matches are swallowed, through mis- 
take or malice. It is known also to ac; 
slowly, in producing disease of the jaw- 
bones, with those engaged in making lucifer 
matches. Symptoms of acute or rapid phos- 
phorus poisoning usually begin to appear a 
few hours after it is taken. There is a gar- 
lickly taste, with burning in the throat, pain 
in the stomach, violent vomiting, sometimes 
purging ; coldness, prostration, and either 
convulsions or stupor before death, which 
may follow in from one to five or six days. 
The amount necessary to kill an adult is less 
than a grain. A child two years old is reported > 
tc have died in consequence of swallowing ( 

33 



the ends of eight friction-matches ; and two 
of these have killed an infant two months 
old. 

Treatmeni of phosphorus poisoning must 
be conducted without any known antidote, 
unless old spirit of turpenti7ie , in teaspoonful 
doses, be such, as some have asserted. 
First give an emetic with plenty of warm 
water ; then charcoal azid magiiesia-zvater , 
abundantly. No oil (unless oil of turpen- 
tine, as above said) is to be given after 
phosphorus poisoning ; oil dissolves and 
difi"uses it more rapidly. Rice-water, milk, 
or flaxseed-tea will be suitable to allay irri- 
tation, in a case which escapes death. 

Infancy and Childhood. 

Nourishment. — Every mother should, if 
she can, nourish her own child, from her own 
breast. This is nature's law, as well as the 
law of love. 

Some mothers, unfortunately, cannot 
furnish nourishment for their ofispring. 
Either they have no milk, or very little, so 
little that a child cannot live on it ; or they 
are in such feeble health that it will risk 
their lives to afford it ; or indisposition may 
make their milk unfit, unsafe for nourish- 
ment. What then ? 

The usual resort is to the bottle. First, 
however, ascertain whether the mother has 
not some good milk, even though not enough. 
If she has half enough (as is the case with 
quite a number) let her give the babe the 
benefit of this, if it lasts, until the child hai 
passed through the most of its teething, or 
at least has weathered its first summer. Let 
her nurse it two or three times in the day 
and evening, and give it (or have given to 
it) the bottle for the rest of the time. 

Indeed, it is a good plan, under all cir- 
cum»*^;^nces, for a child six months old to 
learn to use bottle-food, so as to make the 
change more easy later, especially if illness 
or some other cause should oblige the 
mother to wean it suddenly. 

Weaning. — This never should be sudden, 
if it can be helped. If a mother can nurse 
her infant a full year, it will be well ; if 
eighteen months, still better. When she 
has, up to two years, half enough for it, let 
it get what it can from her, and eke out the 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



85 



rest with outside nourishment. Never let a 
child be weaned in summer if it can be helped. 

Bottle-feeding, — ^The bottle is vastly- 
better than the spoon. It imitates nature 
better ; it allows the food to go more slowly 
into the stomach ; and it gives the infant 
desirable exercise in taking it. Get a glass 
bottle, holding about half a pint, with a 
rubber nipple, but without a tube. Two 
bottles, or at least two nipples, will be well 
to have, for alternate use and thorough 
cleansing of both. For a babe less than a 
month old, half a bottle at once will do for 
a meal. In a few months, it will readily 
take nearly or quite a whole one, several 
times a day. A child six months old can, 
and ought to, appropriate three pints of milk 
or more in twenty-four hours. Remember 
a child has to grow as well as to live. When 
too much has been swallowed, it will often 
(and had better) be thrown up. If it be milk, 
this is then usually curdled. Untaught per- 
sons are frightened at this ; but the fact is 
that milk is always curdled at the begin- 
ning of digestion. The natural acid of the 
stomach acts upon it. 

After each time of use, the bottle ought 
to be scalded (that is, washed out with hot 
water) ; in summer time, or where the child 
is delicate, an added precaution is to add 
soda to the water with which it is cleansed. 

flilk. — Cow's milk is almost the only 
kind used in this country for infants ; here 
and there, goat's milk may be had. Cow's 
milk is stronger in ' ' solid ' ' contents than 
woman's milk, but the latter is sweeter. 
Commonly, then, during the first months, 
a little pure water is added (half, or less, of 
the amount of milk), and a little white sugar. 
As the child grows older, less water is 
needed, and within the year often, none at 
all. A great mistake was formerly made, 
in mixing two pints of water with every 
pint of milk ; the poor things sometimes, 
no doubt, starved under such a regimen. 

But, sometimes, the thicker and harder 
curds made in the stomach with cow's milk 
may be difficult for the babe to digest. It 
becomes colicky and fretful, or it refuses 
the bottle. Then we must add rather more 
water, and something else to help to diffuse 
the clots, thus keeping them from forming 
solid masses. 



333 



Starchy materials will do this pretty 
well. Such alone will not nourish a child 
fully ; arrowroot, farina, and other starches 
contain no nitroge7i, and some of this ele- 
ment is indispensable for the growth of 
muscles, bones, and brains. Moreover, 
during the first three or four months very 
little saliva or pancreatic juice is formed, 
and, without these, starch is not digested. 
But the mechanical qualities of starch fit it 
for mixing up the casein and albumen of 
milk in the fluids of the stomach, and so 
promoting its digestion. 

What May be Used with Milk. — 
Simple articles, especially barley, rice, 
and oatmeal, are commonly available for 
this purpose. Either of them does best 
when ground (or beaten in a mortar) to a 
fine powder for use. Barley-v7aX.er answers 
well when the bowels are about right (that 
is, from two to four -moderate, natural pass 
ages daily) ; rice, when there is diarrhoea ; 
oatmeal, when the child is ' ' bound, ' ' or not 
free enough in the bowels. 

For barley-water, a teaspoonful of barley- 
meal for a two or a three months' old infant, 
two teaspoonfuls for one over six months, 
may be mixed with a tablespoonful or two 
of cold water, and then put into a pint of 
water. Bring this to the boiling-point, and 
boil it down to half a pint. Strain it through 
a fine sieve or a clean linen cloth, and stir 
it in with a pint of milk, adding a little salt, 
and an even teaspoonful of granulated white 
sugar. Put what is not used at once, in a 
cold place (on ice, if it be summer time, or 
in the spring-house in the country) to keep 
for the next feeding-time. Never give milk 
twenty-four hours old to a young child, 
under any circumstances. 

Rice and oatmeal may be prepared in the 
same way, and used according to the state 
of the child's bowels, when milk alone does 
not appear to digest well. Should neither of 
these simple additions meet the difiiculty, 
you may safely try some of the " infants' 
foods." Mellin's, Horlick's, Nestle's, and 
Imperial Granum are, among the best 
These "foods" are not, like arrow-root, 
sago, and tapioca, merely starches. They 
contain some also of the nitrogenous ma,-= 
terials. 



90 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



It is not necessary, indeed it is hardly 
desirable, to ask a dairyman to furnish only 
the milk from one cow. You must know 
the cow very well to be sure that its milk is 
the best. A good dairyvian is the best de- 
pendence of all ; and there is no harm in 
mixing the milk of several cows, all equally 
fresh. What ought not to be done is to mix 
tivo days' milks together. Thorough scour- 
ing of the pans, and keeping milk in a pure 
atmosphere (as well as a cool one), are of 
extreme importance. 

When milk is served only once a day in 
hot weather, it had better be brought at 
once to the boiling point — to make it keep 
better, — and then set in the coolest and clean- 
est part of the house ; best of all, put on ice. 

A young infant, under a year old, had 
better take all its food war})i ; unless in the 
torrid heat of our midsummer. With the 
thermometer from 95° to 98°, one does not, 
young or old, want anything warm, inside 
or out. 

If there be a sour smell on the breath, or 
sourness of the curds thrown up, or colicky 
pain after feeding, or beginning looseness of 
the bowels, lime-water should be added to 
the bottle-food. A tablespoonful to the 
bottle will not be too much. It is always 
harmless, if the bowels are not constipated ; 
and it often does a great deal of good. 
When very tough curds are formed after 
taking cow's milk, a pinch of soda (bicar- 
bonate) will help to dissolve them still more 
effectually than lime-water or the starch 
foods. But soda must be used in small 
doses, and occasionally only. Lime-water 
may be, if called for, an every day remedy 
for sourness of stomach, especially with a 
disposition towards diarrnoea. 

For thirst, between feeding-times, in 
summer weather, the best plan is to give 
cold water moderately, and supply from 
time to time a soft clean rag containing 
pounded ice for the child to suck. When a 
sick child has fever, however, it may often 
need to drink a good deal of water. 

Clothing for Infants. 

I,et the clothing of infants, from birth, 
be warm enough and loose enough for com- 
fort. No tight bands shofld ever be put on 



them. Some parents, in over-anxiety abont 
cold, put on three times as much as is 
needed, and then shut all their chamber and 
nursery windows and doors, with big, hot 
fires ; wondering, then, that their babies are 
fretful, get skin diseases all over, and often 
seem to catch cold almost every time they 
are taken out. 

Babies resist actual cold less safely than 
older persons ; but j ust enough clothing is 
always better than too much for them. And 
they do not need to have the rooms they live 
in any warmer than we do — say 68° to 70° 
Fahr. usually. They are also more hurt by 
close, foul air than grown people are. 

When they are old enough to wear short 
clothes, a common mistake has been of an 
opposite kind : to leave their arms and legs 
bare ; they are so pretty thus ! But many 
an attack of croup and of inflammation of 
the lungs, sometimes fatal, has followed 
such exposure in a chilly atmosphere. 
Children should have no less protection of 
their limbs from cold than men and women. 
Even though, when healthy and active, 
they do not seem to feel it ; it is not safe. 

Very important is the chayiging of clothes 
with infants. When their thighs are wet, 
and all next to them is soiled, they should 
be changed at once, always. Neglect of this 
may cause chafing of the skin, very disturb- 
ing to the child, and sometimes as bad as a 
burn. A soft sponge is, when the skin is 
tender, better than a rag or towel ; but a 
sponge must be well cleansed every time, 
with soap and hot water, to be used again. 
Dusting with a little ' ' pat ' ' filled with fina 
starch or arrow-root powder is very soc'ih- 
ing and protective. 

When the skin has become sore about 
the thighs, the child will show it by a sharp 
cry on wetting itself. Redness also, as 
well as tenderness to the touch, will be 
found on examining it. Then tallow, cold 
cream (of the apothecary), or oxide of zinc 
ointme-nt, should be applied gently every 
night and morning (or oftener if need be) 
after changing it. The worst cases, such as 
come only from considerable neglect, may 
need to be treated like burns, with soft rags, 
wet with lime-water and sweet oil (equal 
parts, mixed), and covered with oiled silk. 



334 



777^ FAMILY DOCTOR 



91 



Babie?, as well as adults, should have 
the head kept cool, and the feet warm. 
Out of doors, a cap is all right — thick or 
light according to the season ; but there is 
no need of any cap being worn in the house. 
They are better without it. 

A frequent trouble is with the bed-covers 
at night. First, never forget that covering 
makes no warmth of itself. It only keeps (by 
non-conduction) what warmth the body has 
of its own. So, if a baby is put cold into a 
cold bed, especially if it be sick, it may 
scarcely get warm all night. In that case 
the bed- clothing should be warmed first; 
bypassing a hot flat iron under and over it ; 
or, for an ill baby, keeping a warm brick or 
bottle or tin of hot water in the bed while 
needed. 

Restless children will often fling and 
kick the bed- covers all off at night ; and 
this exposes them to taking cold. Watch- 
ing them all night is hard service. Much 
better will be the canton-flannel night-gown, 
sewn up tight (like mittens) at the ends of 
the hands and feet. If they do throw every- 
thing else off, this will keep them still pretty 
warm. 

Must infants always wear flannels in the 
daytime? Delicate ones certainly should, 
in our climate ; thick (though soft) flannel 
in winter, and light flannel in summer time. 
When an infant shows itself, at two or three 
years of age, to be hardy, its summer flannel 
may be left off safely. Silk, or merino, 
will do for all but weakly children. 

Bathing. — A new-born child should be 
bathed only in warm water, in a warm room. 
From 95° to 90° should be the temperature 
of its bath ; the thermometer had better be 
used, as the touch is so uncertain. As it 
gets older, at least if it seems " hearty," the 
water may be allowed gradually to go down 
to 85° ; or, in warm weather, even 80°. 
The best test of its not being too cool, is, 
the infant being rosy and merry after the bath. 
A child should like its bath, if it is rightly 
managed ; never startling it with a sudden 
plunge, but accustoming it to it by degrees. 
A mother had better bathe her own baby, if 
she is well and strong enough to do so. 

One error especially to be avoided is, 
letting a child, once wet all over, sit half in 



335 



and half out of the water ; being thus chilled 
by evaporation from the uncovered part of 
the body. 

During our hottest weather, when the 
thermometer ranges between 94° and 100°, 
even a young infant may profit by a cool 
bath, say at 75° or 70° ; but then it must 
be a short- time bath also. The cooler, the 
shorter the time of immersion. 

Much soap does not need to be used in 
bathing infants. If the child be bathed 
daily, it needs (after its first thorough 
cleansing) only an occasional employment, 
unless about the thighs, of a little of the 
best castile soap. Salt may be added to the 
bath if the child is weakly, for its tonic 
effect. In sickness, warm or hot baths may 
be of great service. 

Exercise. — After the first few months, a 
babe should be allowed and encouraged to 
sprawl; first on a wide bed, being watched 
that it does not fall ofi" ; afterwards on a car- 
peted floor, or a rug. This will spread its 
chest, and bring most of its muscles into 
play. Thus it will gain strength, and get 
ready, in due time {don't hurry it) to stand 
up and walk. Crawling comes first, accord- 
ing to the true nature of bodily develop- 
ment, 

Airing. — Very soon every baby ought to 
begin to be taken out in fine weather. In 
summer, no matter how soon ; in winter, it 
requires care about keeping it warm, of 
course. But quite young infants may be, 
with proper out-of-door clothing, accus- 
tomed to being taken out into the sunshine 
and air every fine day. 

A nusery ought to be always a sunny and 
well-aired room. As already said, infants 
suffer more harm from bad air than grown 
people do. Scarlet fever, measles, whoop- 
ing-cough, diphtheria, and all other diseases 
are commonly worst, killing the most child- 
ren, in tenement-houses ; and, elsewhere, in 
crowded alleys, where people live too close 
together and do not have fresh, pure air to 
breathe. 

51eep for Children. 

For the first month or two, an infant 
naturally sleeps more than half its time. 
All through the first year, many babies 
sleep from twelve to sixteen hours in the 



92 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



twenty-four. It is a grand thing for all 
concerned when the little one can be trained 
early to sleep most of the night. Habit may 
be formed, in such matters, very soon. 

Lay the child dozun to sleep, from the 
start ; do not get it used to being carried 
about to go to sleep in somebody's arms. 
Put it to sleep in its crib, alone as a rule. 
Hard to believe as it seems, some weary 
slumbrous mothers have ^i7(?r/(a;2>z their babies; 
that is, rolled upon them while asleep and 
suffocated them. Moreover, the vapors from 
another human body make the bed less 
wholesome for the child. Yet, with a wide 
bed, convenience may sometimes afford rea- 
son for a child being laid beside, but not 
too near, its mother or nurse. 

Never rock a child in a cradle. This 
has, happily, quite gone out of fashion. If 
it has any effect, it is by causing a kind of a 
dizziness (like seasickness) which cannot be 
good for the child. 

Let the baby soon get used to going to 
sleep in the dark. Otherwise, when it gets 
older, it will be afraid to do so, with a fear 
often very hard to overcome. Put no cur- 
tains about a bed, for a child or grown 
person. 

Most babies, when they do sleep well 
early in the night, wake very early in the 
morning, and then want food. Before noon 
they are apt to be ready to take a nap of 
two or three hours. Some will also want 
an afternoon nap of an hour or two. Let 
them sleep all they will ; sleep and grow 
fat. Never wake a young child (or in- 
deed an older one) suddenly ; it jars, their 
brains. When their sleep is out they will 
wake up of themselves. 

Teething. 

Mothers and nurses ought to know 
what to look for in their babies' mouths, 
as the months follow each othc" in their first 
two years. Only twenty teeth, be it remem- 
bered, come in the first set, or, ''milk 
teeth." Thirty-two follow these, and take 
their place, in the second set. 

About the end of the sixth month (from 
the fifth to the eighth) , it is common for the 
two loivcr middle front to appear through 
the gum ; and not long after, even some- 



times before these, the two upper middle 
front ones. These are called cutting or 
incisor teeth. So are the next to come out 
— alonside of the first — the lateral incisors 
(side cutting teeth), below and above; 
which appear between the eighth and the 
tenth months. Before the infant is a year 
old, then, it usually has at least eight front 
teeth out ; four below and four above. 

Next, we might expect those nearest 
these to appear; but they do not. Instead 
come WvQ. first jazv or molar teeth — two below 
and two above — between the twelfth and 
the fourteenth months. 

Then follow, between the fourteenth and 
twentieth months, the stomach and eye 
teeth, as people call them ; the four canine 
teeth, two below and two above ; pointed 
teeth. 

After these, and last of the first set, come 
the second faiv or molar teeth; two below and 
two above ; between the eighteenth and 
the thirty-sixth months. In each jaw, in 
all, there are then four incisors, two canines, 
and four molar teeth ; doubling these, we 
get the twenty of the whole set. The fol- 
lowing diagram shows this, with the order 
of their succession : 



5 3421 
M M C I I 


I 
I 


243 
I C M 


5 
M 


M M C I I 


I 


I C M 


M 


53421 


I 


243 


5 


I stands for incisor; 
molar. 


C 


for cayiine ; 


M 



336 



for 



This order is the general mode of suc- 
cession ; but variations from it are far from 
rare. Often the upper teeth, front and all, 
come before the lower ones. The time for 
each group of teeth is frequently later, and 
sometimes earlier, than that above men- 
tioned. 

As the time conies near (^ about the sixth 
or seventh year) for the second dentition 
the new set, whose germs were in the jaws 
at birth, grow steadily larger in the gums. 
The milk teeth are not forced out ; but, 
under the wonderful natural adaptation of 
parts, their fangs are gradually absorbed, 
and thus they loosen and drop out, or are 
easily taken out, and make way for the 
second set of permanent teeth. These are 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



91 



thirty- two in numbef. The first to come 
through the gums are the first molar or jaw 
teeth. Next, at about seven years of age, 
the middle incisors ; then the lateral incis- 
ors, at or near the end of the eighth year. 
A-fter these, the first pre-molars (bicuspids) 
or lesser jaw teeth ; and in the ninth year, 
the second pre-molars. Between eleven and 
twelve years, the permanent canines, two 
above and two below. From twelve to thir- 
teen or fourteen years, the second molars ; 
and from seventeen to twenty- one years, the 
last molars, or wisdom teeth. These last are 
often imperfect from the start. 

Dentition is a process oi growth. A great 
deal of blood is needed in the tissues of the 
jaws for this purpose. Moreover, for the 
teeth to "come out," the gums must give 
way, by absorption. Should this be slow, 
a tension of the gum may occur; and, 
through the nerves, the whole system may 
be brought into sympathetic excitement. As 
the nervous apparatus is much more irrita- 
ble, more easily disturbed, in babyhood than 
in adult life — we often have, from this cause, 
worrying ; fretfulness ; sometimes fits, or 
convulsions. A child which was " always 
good" before, now may cry a great deal, 
losing its reputation for goodness altogether. 

Why Babies Cry. 

A word here about babies' crying. A 
healthy child, not teething, if well take7i care 
off will very seldom cry. If it becomes very 
hungry, and is not nourished, or is cold, or 
too warm, or is left with garments soiled 
and wet, of cozirse it cries. And, the habit 
once formed, cry it will, though the whole 
household and neighborhood regard it as a 
" crying evil." 

Several sorts of crying may be observed, 
which it is desirable to understand. First 
there is the cry of surprise, on the child 
being first ushered into the world. That is 
all right and natural. 

Next, comes the calling cry, of hunger, 
thirst, or other want. Sharper and shriller, 
sometimes a violent scream, is the cry of 
pain ; as of colic or earache ; or of fright, as 
when a babe rolls out of its bed or crib upon 
the floor. Much like the cry of simple 
want, but habitually harsher in manner, is 
that of demand or comm.and, of a child 



337 



already spoiled ; finding that whatever it cries 
for it will get. An aggravation only of this, 
is the (sometimes fairly impish) roar and 
succession of screams, of temper Q.n& passion 
Disease has various cries ; according to its 
character. Sometimes it is only a faint 
moan, attending nearly every breath. Other 
times it is hoarse, as in croup ; along with a 
short, barking cough. Or it may be the 
wild scream of inflammation of the brain. 

What Teething Is. 

Teething is not a disease, a morbid pro- 
cess, at all. But it is an important change, 
which for the time renders the child more 
than before or after liable to disorders, 
under any disturbing causes ; and the pro- 
cess of penetration of the gums by the young 
teeth may sometimes itself be imperfectly 
accomplished. The most common and least 
alarming effect of the ' ' sympathetic irrita- 
tion " of teething is diarrhoea. This seems 
often to give a safe vent and relief to the 
disturbance of the system. Three or four, 
or even flve passages from the bowels daily, 
at such times, are not objectionable ; are 
much better than constipation. Convulsions 
are frightful to behold, and attended by 
danger. 

Here, however, it may be suitable to 
refer briefly to lancing the gums. Healthy 
babies may often pass through their teething 
without needing to have their gums lanced. 
But some may be, by this simple and harm- 
less means, kept from having convulsions, 
which, if brought on, may threaten their 
lives. Use a clean, sharp lancet, and divide 
the gum with a straight, firm cut ; in the 
direction of the edge if it be an incisor, and 
across the crown if a molar tooth ; and 
then there will never be any ' ' scars ' ' or 
other trouble. 

It is well to lance the gums whenever 
they are much swollen, red, painful, and 
worrying, to the child, making it nervous 
and hard to get to sleep ; or when, even 
though not swollen, the tooth is evidently 
not far within the gum, which seems tense, 
and a source of irritation, calling for relief. 
Many a child, once helped by this measure, 
will ask for it, with looks if it has no words, 
to have it repeated. 



94 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



A lesser, but not tiilimportant means of 
relief for worriment of the mouth during 
teething, is the use of rubber rings, bits of 
ivory, etc., smooth and firm, but too large 
to swallow, for the child to bite upon. 
When there is much heat of the mouth, a 
soft rag filled with pounded ice will, in sum- 
mer time, do the most good. 

At no time is it more needful than dur- 
ing dentition, to be very careful about the 
food which the child takes. Indigestion is 
a very common exciting c?use of convul- 
sions. 

Summer Dangers. 

In our American cities, hot weather kills 
more young children than any other cause. 
Look at the weekly record of deaths in New 
York or Philadelphia, and you will find that 
every degree of noon temperature above 95° 
costs scores if not hundreds of little lives . In 
those cities, about one-half of the deaths of 
children in the first year of life, and nearly 
one-third of those in the second year, take 
place in June, July, and August. 

High heat, crowding, filth, and unsuitable 
food, conspire against children in the sum- 
mer homes of the city poor. But the rich 
may suffer also, from excessive heat, town ai?', 
and itnpi-oper diet, for their children ; and 
these causes produce many cases of stimmer 
coTuplaint, or " cholera infantum." 

Whoever, of our city families, can take 
their infants out into the country, during 
their first, second and third summers, for 
the months of June, July, August, and Sep- 
tember, ought to do it. With those who 
cannot, the next best thing is to take or 
send them out on frequent excursions, on 
land or water, and to have them often in the 
open parks or squares ; for as much pure, 
cool air as they can get. It is the best pre- 
ventive, and often the best curative, of sum- 
mer complaint. 

For those who are obliged to live in the 
crowded parts of towns or villages, the rules 
given by the Obstetrical Society of Philadel- 
phia " for the management of infants during 
the hot season " have proved serviceable. I 
will quote them here, in addition to what 
has been already said on our previous pages 
on the same subjects. 



338 



Rules for Management of 
Infants. 

Rule I . — Bathe the child once a day in 
tepid water. If it is feeble, sponge it all 
over once a day with tepid water, or with 
tepid water and vinegar. The health of a 
child depends much upon its cleanliness. 

Ride 2. — Avoid all tight bandaging. 
Make the clothing light and cool, and so 
loose that the child may have free play for 
its limbs. At night, undress it, sponge it, 
and put on a slip. In the morning remove 
the slip and dress the child in clean clothes. 
If this cannot be afforded, thoroughly air 
the day clothing by hanging it up during 
the night. Use clean diapers, and change 
them often. Never dry a soiled one in the 
nursery or in the sitting-room, and never 
use one for a second time without first wash- 
ing it. 

Rule J . — The child should sleep by itself 
in a cot or cradle. It should be put to bed 
at regular hours, and be early taught to go 
to sleep without being nursed in the arms. 
Without the advice of a physician, never 
give it any spi?'its, cordials, carnmiatives , 
soothing- syrups, or sleeping-drops . Thousatids 
of children die every year from the use of these 
poisons. If the child frets and does not 
sleep, it is either hungry or ill. If ill, it 
needs a physician. Never quiet it by candy 
or cake ; they are the common causes ot 
diarrhoea and other troubles. 

Rule 4. — Give the child plenty of fresh 
air. In the cool of the morning and even- 
ing send it out to the shady sides of broad 
streets, to the public squares, or to the park. 
Make frequent excursions on the rivers. 
Whenever it seems to suffer from the heat, 
let it drink freely of ice-water. Keep it out 
of the room in which washing or cooking is 
going on. It is excessive heat that destroys 
the lives of young infants. 

Rule 5. — Keep your house sweet and 
clean, cool and well aired. In very hot 
weather let the windows be open day and 
night. Do your cooking in the yard, in a 
shed, in the garret, or in an upper room. 
Whitewash the walls every spring, and see 
that the cellar is clear of all rubbish. lyCt 
no slops collect to poison the air. Correct 
all fou. smells by pouring carbolic acid or 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



95 



qtiicklime into the sinks and privies. The 
former articles can be got from the nearest 
druggist, who will give the needful direc- 
tions for its use. Make every effort your- 
self, and urge your neighbors, to keep the 
gutters of your street or court clean. 

Rules for Diet of Infants. 

Rule 6. — Breast milk is the only proper 
food for infants. If the supply is ample, 
and the child thrives on it, no other kind of 
food should be given while the hot weather 
lasts. If the mother has not enough, she 
must not wean the child, but give it, besides 
the breast, goat's or cow's milk, as prepared 
under Rule 8. Nurse the child once in 
two or three hours during the day, and as 
seldom as possible during the night. Always 
remove the child from the breast as soon as 
it has fallen asleep . Avoid giving the breast 
when you are over- fatigued or overheated. 

Rule 7. — If, tmfortunately, the child 
must be brought tip by hand, it should be 
fed on a milk-diet alone, and that, warm 
milk out of a nursing- bottle, as directed 
under Rule 8. Goat's milk is the best, and 
next to it, cow's milk. If the child thrives 
on this diet, no other kind of food whatever 
should be given while the hot weather lasts. 
At all seasons of the year, but especially 
in summer, there is no safe substitute for 
milk to an infant that has not cut its front 
teeth. Sago, arrow-root, potatoes , corn-flour, 
crackers, bread, every patented food, a7id every 
article of diet containing starch, cannot and 
must not be depended on as food for very 
young infants. Creeping or walking chil- 
dren must not be allowed to pick up un- 
wholesome food. 

Rule 8. — Kach bottleful of milk should 
be sweetened by a small lump of loaf-sugar, 
or by half a teaspoonful of crushed sugar. 
If the milk is known to be pure, it may have 
one-fourth part of hot water added to it ; 
but, if it is not known to be pure, no water 
need be added. When the heat of the 
weather is great, the milk may be given 
quite cold. Be sure that the milk is un- 
skimmed ; have it as fresh as possible, and 
brought very early in the morning; Before 
using the pans into which it is to be poured, 
always scald them with boiling suds. In 
very hot weather, boil the milk as soon as 



it comes, and at once put away the vessels 
holding it in the coolest place in the house 
— upon ice if it can be afforded, or down a 
well. Milk carelessly allowed to stand in a 
warm room soon spoils, and becomes unfit 
for food. 

Rule 9. — If the milk should disagree, a 
tablespoonful of lime-water may be added to 
each bottleful. Whenever pure milk cannot 
be got, try the condensed milk, which often 
answers admirably. It is sold by all the- 
leading druggists and grocers, and may be 
prepared by adding, without sugar, one tea- 
spoonful, or more, according to the age of 
the child, to six tablespo5nfuls of boiling 
water. Should this disagree, a teaspoonful 
of arrow-root, of sago, or of corn-starch to 
the pint of milk may be cautiously tried. 
If milk in any shape cannot be digested, 
try, for a few days, pure cream diluted with 
three-fourths or three-fifths of water — re- 
turning to the miik as soon as possible. 

Weaning the Infant. 

Rule 10. — The nursing-bottle must be 
kept perfectly clean ; otherwise the milk 
will turn sour, and the child will be made 
ill. After each meal it should be emptied, 
rinsed out, taken apart, and the tube, cork, 
nipple, and bottle be placed in clean water, 
or in water to which a little soda has been 
added. It is a good plan to have two nurs- 
ing-bottles, and to use them by turns. 

Rule II. — Do not wean the child just 
before or during the hot weather, nor, as a 
rule, until after its second summer. If 
suckling disagrees with the mother, she 
must not wean the child, but feed it in part 
out of a nursing-bottle, on such food as has 
been directed. However small the supply 
of breast-milk, provided it agrees with the 
child, the mother should carefully keep it 
up against sickness : it alone will often save 
the life of a child when everything else fails. 
When the child is over six months old, the 
mother may save her strength by giving it 
one or two meals a day of stale bread and 
milk, which should be pressed through a 
sieve and put into a nursing-bottle. When 
from eight months to a year old, it may have 
also one meal a day of the yolk of a fresh 
and rare-boiled ^%z-> or one of beef- or mut- 
' ton-broth into which stale bread has been 



339 



96 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



crumbled. When older than this, it can 
have a little meat finely minced ; but even 
then milk should be its principal food, and 
not such food as grown people eat. 

When an infant's bowels do not act, at 
least once or twice, freely, every day, sweet 
(olive) oil may be given, a teaspoonful at 
once ; or manna, a quarter of a teaspooful 
at a time (it 'S sweet and easily taken) ; or 
simple syrup.' of rhubarb, a teaspoonful at 



once; ot glycerine, a teaspoonful at a time.. 
If the stomach is sick at the same time, 
magnesia may do more good, a quarter or 
half a teaspoonful, according to the age of 
the child, stirred well up in a little water. 
If colic is present, castor oil, a teaspoonful 
mixed with two teaspoonfuls of spiced syrup 
of rhubarb wil be the best thing to open the 
bowels. 



THE LAWS OF HYGIENE 



How to Keep Well. 

In the pages over which we have passed, 
our effort has been, as the reader will per- 
ceive, to describe the various ailments with 
which man is afflicted and the accidents or 
injuries to which he is liable; also, the 
remedies to be applied or the methods to be 
adopted in the treatment of the sick or the 
injured. This, while a great part of the 
story, is not the whole story. There is a 
further very important phase of the subject. 
It is one thing to know how to get well ; it 
is another to know how to keep well. There 
is a science of health as well as a science of 
sickness. The former we call hygiene. 
This deals with the rules to be observed to 
enable us to avoid ill-health. These are of 
the highest importance, and it is incumbent 
upon us here to give the leading laws and 
principles of hygiene science. 

The world we dwell in is full of the 
seeds of disease. They come to us in the 
food we eat, the water we drink, the air we 
breathe. We cannot stir abroad or confine 
ourselves at home without exposing our- 
selves to some unwholesome condition. The 
germs of disease lurk everywhere. We may 
escape them in part, but cannot altogether. 
But what effect they will have upon us de- 
pends largely upon ourselves. A sound, 
vigorous constitution and healthy normal 
condition of the organs of the body, enable 
us to expose ourselves, with impunity to 
conditions which might prove fatal to those 
of feeble powers of resistance or weakness 
in some of the vital organs. Therefore, in 
addition to care in avoiding exposure to in- 
jurious influences, it is very important to 



340 



strengthen our powers of resistance by a 
reasonable amount of exercise, the breath- 
ing of fresh air, attention to suitable cloth- 
ing, heedfulness of any organic weakness, 
and everything adapted to give us strength 
and powers of endurance. 

Impure Air. 

The air which v/e breathe is rarely quite 
pure, and is often very impure. This is 
especially the case in city life and within 
our houses. Pure air is only to be found in 
the open country, the mountains, or at the 
sea-side. In addition to its normal oxygen 
and nitrogen, many other gases make their 
way into it, some of them, being very un- 
heal thful. There are also solid particles of 
' ' dust, " of a great variety of materials, 
animal, vegetable, or mineral, many of 
them more or less harmful. The worst of 
them are the floating bacteria, living germs 
of disease, which inhabit air and water 
alike ; the great majority of these are harm- 
less, some of them are deadly in their effects. 

Of the impure gases in the air, some of 
the worst are of our own production. We 
are constantly breathing out matter which 
is poisonous to the system if breathed in 
again. This is largely carbon dioxide (or 
carbonic acid gas), with small quantities of 
organic poisons, the waste of the system. 

We can easily understand how it is thai 
pure air becomes poisoned by respiration, 
the specially dangerous products being the 
carbon dioxide and the organic matters. The 
total amount of carbon dioxide breathed, 
out in an hour is about 6 cubic feet. While 
this is an injurious gas, it is probable that 




EXERCISES FOR DEVELOPING GRACEFUL POSES. 
I. Forward drop in a narrow doorway. 2. Breathing exercises com- 
bined with arm movements. 3. Arm exercises. 4. Bending to the side. 
5. Bending backward. 6. Bending forward. 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



97 



the bad effects of breathing respired air are 
more due to the poisonous organic matter, 
as it is found that while an artificial atmos- 
phere containing i part of carbon dioxide 




MISPLACED PIPE. 



in ICO of air causes but little discom- 
fort when breathed, yet if an already 
respired air containing only i part of carbon 
dioxide in i,ooo of air is breathed much 
discomfort is experienced . This organic poi- 
son is probably composed partly of an or- 
ganic vapor from the lungs, and partly of solid 
matter from the lining of the mouth aud air 
passages. It is difficult to find out the 
exact quantity of organic matter present, 
but it varies exactly in proportion to the 
quantity of carbon dioxide, and the amount 
of this in respired air is therefore taken as 
the standard of impurity. 

The Air from Sewage and Sewers. — 
This is found to contain a great diminution 
of the oxygen, a large increase of the carbon 
dioxide, and many other gases, such as sul- 
phureted hydrogen, sulphide of ammonium, 
marsh-gas, etc. A more harmful constitu- 
ent is found In the numerous germs present, 
which are probably thrown into the air of 
the sewer by the bursting of bubbles on the 
surface of the putrefying sewage. 

The air from churchyards contains car- 
bon dioxide in excessive amount, various 
vapors of ammonia, offensive and putrid 
gases, and many germs. 

Air polluted by Trades. — These impuri- 
ties depend, of course, on the nature of the 
trade. We may have hydrochloric acid, 
sulphur dioxide, sulphurous acid, ammonia, 
and sulphureted hydrogen from chemical 
. 3*^ K 34 



works ; carbon dioxide and monoxide and 
sulphureted hydrogen from brickfields ; 
nauseous organic vapors from glue refin- 
ing, bone burning, fat boiling, candle 
making, and slaughter houses ; and various 
vegetable and mineral impurities from near 
works where cotton, linen, flint, or iron 
particles are thrown into the atmosphere. 
Nor must we forget the air of workrooms 
polluted by various products of manufac- 
ture, such as lead, phosphorous, flax, etc. 

The air of towns must necessarily be 
very impure, owing to the presence of the 
injurious products given off by combustion, 
respiration, sewers, and trades ; we find a 
lessened amount of oxygen, an increased 
amount of carbon dioxide, and a fairly large 
amount of solid matter, both inorganic and 
organic. It is also found that it is especi- 
ally in the narrow streets of crowded parts 
of the town that the atmosphare is particu- 
larly foul. In the open spaces and wide 
streets the impurities are not nearly so 
great. 

In close rooms the air is made impure 
by products of combustion (as from the 
burning of gas) and by respiration ; the im- 
purities thus caused may be very great, 
even to the extent of 3 parts of carbon diox- 
ide in 1 ,000 of air. In a room in Leicester, 
containing six persons, with only 51 cubic 
feet of air space each, and with three gas- 
lights burning, the amount of carbon dioxide 
was found to be over 5 parts per i ,000 of air. 

Diseases Due to Impure Air. 

Respiration. — The effect upon most peo' 
pie of breathing over-iespired air is to cause 
heaviness, sleepiness, headache, giddiness, 
fainting, and sometimes vomiting. When 
the air is still more impure death may re- 
sult, as in the case of the 146 prisoners kept 
in the Black Hole of Calcutta, for a single 
night, of whom 123 died; and also when 
150 passengers were shut up on a very 
stormy night in a small cabin of the steamer 
Londonderry, of whom seventy died before 
morning. The breathing of impure air day 
after day causes people to become pale, lose 
their spirits, strength and appetite, and, as a 
result, they easily contract any infectious 
disease which is in the district: and this 



98 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 




A GOOD VENTILATOR FOR A ROOM. 



remark especially applies to consumption, 
which is particularly common in communi- 
ties, who live in bad impure air, and the fre- 

quency of 
which tends 
to diminish in 
proportion as 
the air habi- 
tually breath- 
e d is i m - 
proved. 

Com bus = 
t i o n . — The 
solid particles 
of carbon 
from the 
smoke of fires, and the fumes of burning 
sulphur, are harmful to the respiratory ap- 
paratus. The gaseous products, such as 
carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, may 
cause death if present in large quantities, 
and even in small quantities cause pallor, 
headache, heaviness, and oppression. 

Sewer Gas. — If an atmosphere is very 
largely contaminated with sewer gas, death 
may occasionally result. In smaller quan- 
tities this form of impurity will cause sleep- 
iness, headache, loss of appetite, vomiting, 
diarrhoea, colic, and prostration. Diarrhoea, 
typhoid fever, and almost certainly diph- 
theria are not uncommonly set up by sewer 
gas getting into houses, but at present there is 
no certain proof that scarlatina can be caused 
in this way. The air coming from rivers 
polluted with sewage, or from land on which 
sewage has been thrown, has been known 
to cause dyspepsia, and even dysentery. 

Other Causes. — The air from marshy or 
newly-broken ground is apt to produce ague. 
Workmen exposed to the dust arising from 
various occupations are liable to lung dis- 
ease. Lead poisoning not unfrequently oc- 
curs from lead dust from dyed goods ; wool 
sorters occasionally get a fatal disease called 
anthrax from germs coming from the wool 
of animals which have been similarly af- 
fected, and various other diseases arise from 
the unhealthy air of work-rooms. 

Diseases Due to Impure Water. 

Water is another fertile source of dis- 
ease, many organic and inorganic impuri- 
ties making their way into it. It is to the 

34 



former that its unhealthfulness is generally 
due. Nearly all water from the earth con- 
tains some mineral ingredients, few of 
which are harmful, some of which are 
healthful. The waters of many mineral 
springs serve as remedies for serious dis- 
orders of the system. The chief source of 
water pollution lies in organic impurities, 
which are carried through the soil from cess- 
pools, manure heaps, and similar sources 
into wells, or are emptied by sewers into 
the rivers from which many cities now de- 
rive their drinking water. 

The lack of sufiicient water may also be 
a cause of disease. The person and clothes 
are not properly washed, houses and streets 
are dirty, and the sewers become clogged 
with filth. As a result there is a general 
lower state of health of the community, and 
typhoid fever and diarrhoea may be preval- 
ent. 

Vegetable Impurities. — Peaty water, in 
the absence of a better supply, may be used 
without much harm, but if the amount of 
solid matter is great it may even produce 
diarrhoea. Under this head we must include 
water containing germs, for although they 
generally get into the water from the excre- 
tions of animals, yet, as we know, they are 
vegetable in nature. Here we shall meet 
with the most dangerous kinds of water, 
causing many fatal epidemics. 

Cholera. — Chief among these is cholera, 
whose germs are now thought to be con- 
veyed only by water. The great epidemic 
at Hamburg in 1892, was traced to sewage 
water from cholera patients getting into the 
river Elbe, which supplies the city with 
water. The constant outbreaks of cholera 
which occur amongst the Mecca pilgrims 
every year are due to the fact that they wash 
in and drink out of the same wells, thus 
leading to an enormous mortality. This 
frequently, perhaps almost wholly, comes 
from a like distribution of the bacterial 
germs of the disease by water. Typhoid 
fever has been traced to this cause in numer- 
ous instances. This was the case at Over 
Darwen in 1874, when a drain containing 
the excreta of a typhoid patient was blocked , 
and its contents got in the main pipe of the 
water supply. As a result, out of a popu- 
lation of 22,000 there were 2,035 cases of 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



typhoid fever and 104 deaths. In Bangor, 
in 1882, there occurred an epidemic of 
typhoid fever, affecting 540 'persons out of a 
population of 10,000, of whom 42 died. 
This was found to be caused by the excreta 




HOW PEOPLE DRINK SEWAGE. 



of a single typhoid patient getting into a 
small stream which discharged into the river 
supplying the town with water. 

Diphtheria is probably conveyed and 
caused by impure water, but this is not yet 
absolutely proved. Dysentery is well known 
in tropical countries to be caused by impure 
water, as was proved b)'' an outbreak at Cape 
Coast Castle, where it was caused by the 
passage of sewage into one of the drinking 
tanks. Diarrhoea has been caused in epi- 
demic form by impure water, as was shown 
in the old Salford jail, where the un trapped 
overflow pipe from a cistern of drinking 
water communicated with a sewer, and the 
water had thus absorbed sewer gas, and 
probably germs. 

Mineral Impurities. — A moderate de- 
gree of hardness is not harmful, but if the 
hardness is great dyspepsia and constipation 
may result. Goitre seems to be due to the 
presence of magnesium limestone in the 
drinking water, but this is disputed by some. 
Iron salts cause dyspepsia, constipation, and 
headache. L,ead salts are especially dan- 
gerous, causing colic, paralysis, kidney dis- 
ease, and sometimes death. These symp- 
toms may occur when the amount of lead 
does not exceed one-tenth grain per gallon, 



the 



Purification of Water. 

Fortunately, it is comparatively easy to 
destroy the injurious organic impurities of 
water and render it wholesome for drinking 
purposes. This, it is true, demands 
a degree of care and precaution which 
many will not take* and as a result of 
ignorance and heedlessness, water is 
almost everywhere a common carrier 
of disease. The peril of injury from 
it can be overcome in a measure by the 
use of domestic filters, composed of 
charcoal or other substances. These, 
however, are much more effective in 
removing the mineral ingredients than 
the more dangerous organic particles. 
They also are rarely kept pure and 
clean, and may become simply breed- 
ing places for bacteria. 

Boiling. — The only safe way of 
purifying questionable water in house- 
holds is by boiling. The disease 
germs, whicn can endure unharmed 
low temperature of liquid air, are 
destroyed by boiling water. To make sure, 
the boiling should be kept up at least 
ten minutes. An unpleasant effect of this 
is that it gives the water a flat taste from its 
loss of air. Some means should be adopted to 
restore to it the lost air. This may be done in 
a measure by subsequent filtering, the water 
slowly trickling down through and absorb- 
ing the air. 

City Filters. — Of late years many cities 
have introduced filters on an extensive scale, 
to purify the total supply and thus cut ofl" 
this prolific cause of disease at its source. 
The principal means employed for this are 
large filter-beds of sand and gravel, though 
in some cities spongy iron is used with good 
effect. The result has been highly encoura- 
ging in the prevention of epidemic diseases, 
and filter-beds are likely to be introduced 
before many years into the water-supply of 
all our larger cities. 

Diseases Due to Food, 

Food may in various ways give rise to 
disease. Over-eating is one source of injury 
to the system. Part of the food is not ab- 
sorbed, and may become putrid in the intes- 



,343 



roo 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



tines, causing dyspepsia, constipation, or 
diarrhoea. If the excess consumed is prin- 
cipally in the nitrogenous materials, it leads 
to an increase of the chemical changes in 
the body, and the person tends to become 
thin rather than the contrary. It may cause 
gouty conditions and disease of the kidneys 
and blood-vessels. Excess of starchy and 
sugary foods often causes acidity and flatu- 
lence and great fattiness of the body, as is 
also the case with excess of fatty food. 

Deficiency of Food produces gradual loss 
of flesh and weakness of all the bodily or- 
gans, particularly of the heart. The body 
is, moreover, little able to resist cold and 
various diseases, and thus half-starved peo- 
ple are easily attacked by fevers and con- 
sumption. 

Bad Proportion of Food Stuffs. — If 
food is not given in about the right propor- 
tions, various dyspeptic troubles may arise, 
and the body will not h^ properly nourished. 
Similarly, eating foot", in a hurry, bad cook- 
ing of food, and a bad arrangement of meals, 
the food being taken too often or too sel- 
dom, or too much taken at one time and 
too little at another, will lead to stomach 
troubles. 

Scurvy. — One of the best-known diseases 
caused by the absence of some essential of a 
diet is called scurvy. This used to be very 
common on board ships on long voyages, 
and was caused either by the great use of 
salt beef, or (much more probably) by the 
absence of fresh vegetables containing the 
necessary vegetable acids. Nowadays fresh 
meat can be more easily taken on long voy- 
ages, and potatoes and lime-juice are freely 
given, so that sea scurvy is practically un- 
known. In large towns, however, we very 
frequently see the same disease, as shown by 
the sore and bleeding gums and the appear- 
ance of blood under the skin like small 
bruises, and the condition is only found in 
badly-fed people, who will tell you that they 
live almost entirely on bread and butter and 
tea, with meat occasionally, and fresh vege- 
tables sometimes on Sunday. This land 
scurvy soon disappears when proper food is 
given . 

Rickets is a disease found in young chil- 
dren, and is very largely due to feeding 
with improper food (such as starchy mate- 



rials,), and to an absence of fresh air. The 
child perspires chiefly about the head at 
night, and the whole body seems to be ten- 
der and sore, the ends of the bones becoming 
soft and enlarged, especially near the ankles 
and wrists, and deformities of the limbs, 
such as bow legs or knock knees, may 
result. If there is any sign of this disease 
beginning, the child must not on any 
account be allowed to walk for many 
months, and he should be given plenty of 
fresh air, sunlight, and good nourishing 
food. 

Diseases Due tl) Food Eaten when it 
has Become Putrid. — It is a curious fact 
which we cannot explain that some food, 
such as ripe cheese, game, and "high" 
mutton is only eaten in a state of decompo- 
sition, and yet no evil results follow. Apart 
from these examples, we know that putrid 
food ought to be absolutely avoided, as it 
may cause intense poisoning, with vomiting, 
diarrhoea, great collapse, and even death. 
Such cases are, unfortunately, not uncom- 
mon from the eating of putrid meat pies, 
hams, and sausages. 

Food Diseased in Itself. — Diseased ani- 
mals not unfrequently communicate their 
diseases to man . Thus so called ' ' measly ' ' 
cattle and pigs contain in the flesh or mus- 
cles innumerable small bladders, which are 
living animals of a low type. When these 
are taken into the intestines of man without 
being killed by thorough cooking they 
begin to grow, and form tape- worms. 
Another disease, found often in Germany, 
Russia, and Sweden, is trichinosis, which is 
caused by eating pork either raw or not 
properly cooked. Minute worms live in the 
muscles of the pig, and these, on getting 
into the intestines of man, begin to breed in 
enormous numbers ; the young worms then 
pierce the intestines, get into the blood-ves- 
sels and into the muscles, so causing diar- 
rhoea, fever, pains in the muscles, and even 
death . 

Certain diseases in cattle ought certainly 
to prevent them being used as food ; these 
are infectious inflammation of the lungs of 
cattle, cattle plague, and consumption in 
the cow, smallpox in the sheep, and trichi- 
nosis and swine fever in the pig. The 
milk also of cows affected with foot and 



344 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



lOl 



BxOUth disease sometimes causes severe 
symptoms with very sore mouth and lips, 
and, rarely, sore hands in children, and it is 
almost certain that the milk of tubercular 
(consumptive) cattle will cause consump- 
tion in the human being. 

Vegetable foods, if putrid and decayed, 
may cause severe illness, just as may hap- 
pen with putrid animal food. 

Good Food conveying Germs. — This is 
most frequent in the case of milk, where it 
has been found that whole districts supplied 
by one milk farm have been affected with 
some disease, such as typhoid fever, diph- 
theria, or scarlet fever, and inquiries have 
shown that either at the farm or in the milk 
shop germs of these diseases have got into 
the milk, either from the air, from sewer 
gas, or more often from water taken from 
an impure source, and either added to the 
milk as an adulteration, or used for washing 
out the milk cans. These diseases carried 
by milk, as well as tuberculosis from the 
milk of tuberculous cows, can be entirely 
prevented by boiling the milk for at least 
five minutes before it is used. 

Alcohol and Tobacco. — Alcohol is not 
required by the body, and, as a rule, to 
which there are few exceptions, people are 
much better and healthier without it ; for 
instance, it has been repeatedly proved that 
soldiers can bear the hard labor of war very 
much better when no alcohol is given to 
them. In large and repeated quantities it 
causes many diseases, such as gout, diseases 
of the liver, heart, brain, and nerves. When 
taken, it should never be between meals, but 
only with food ; it should never be given to 
children except when ordered by a doctor, 
and should never be taken by those who 
have insanity or drunkenness in their fami- 
lies. In the treatment of disease it is a most 
useful drug, but here again only to be used 
by a doctor's order. 

Tobacco = smoking is a habit which 
should never be indulged in by any one 
under twenty-one years of age. Even after 
that age it is merely a luxury, and not a 
necessity, and if practiced in excess it may 
cause pain and irregularity of the heart, 
sole throat, dyspepsia, and partial blind- 
ness. 

3 2 34 



Infectious Diseases. 

Diseases which may be communicated 
from one person to another, or from an ani- 
mal to a man, are known as infectious dis- 
eases. Some of these, such as itch, lice, 
ringworm, hydrophobia, and a few others, 
require actual contact with a diseased per- 
son or animal, and so are called contagious 
diseases. Some of the other infectious dis- 
eases, though actually transmitted in a dif- 
ferent way, may also be conveyed by touch. 

Animal Parasites. — The commonest at- 
tacking the external parts, such as fleas, 
bugs, lice, and mosquitoes, are generally 
well known. They cause much irritation, 
with small lumps on the skin, and scratch- 
ing leaves many marks on the body. The 
itch insect is very minute and microscopic, 
but as the female burrows under the skin 
and lays her eggs, small papules and pus- 
tules form, with very great irritation, and 
the body may be almost covered with an 
unsightly eruption. This disease can be 
communicated by touch to others. The 
head louse attacks the hair, and may be 
seen crawling about, or its eggs or " nits" 
can be seen fixed on to the hairs themselves. 
It causes much irritation, eruptions on the 
head, and lumps at the back of the neck. 

Some insects are also of injury as con- 
veyers of germ diseases. For instance, it is 
now known that the germs of malaria and 
yellow-fever are largely, if not solely, car- 
ried by mosquitoes. Flies also carry some 
diseases from one person to another, especi- 
ally ophthalmia. 

The animal parasites attacking the in- 
ternal parts of the body are numerous. The 
commonest are tape-worms which get into 
the body with diseased meat of the cow or 
pig, and cause much irritation from their 
presence in the small intestine ; the common 
round worm, about twelve inches long, 
which also lives in the small intestine ; and 
thread or seat v^^orms in the lower part of the 
large intestine, causing great discomfort. 
Very rarely in this country the trichina gets 
into the intestines and muscles of man from 
diseased pork. It is not easily killed or ex- 
pelled if it has once got into the body. The 
other worms mentioned may be easily expel- 
led by simple medicines, and any discomfort 



I02 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



which they may have caused is thus re- 
moved. Another internal animal parasite, 
which is fortunately not very common, is 
the "bladder" form of the tape-worm of 
the dog. This bladder may begin to grow 
in some organ (generally the liver) of the 
human body, and cause great suffering, and 
even death, from its large size. It can only 
be removed effectually by a surgical oper- 
ation. 

Vegetable Parasites. — These are all 
very minute, and only visible by the micro- 
scope, and their presence on or in the body 
is only judged from the diseases which they 
set up. They attack either the external or 
internal parts of the body. They may be 
all included under the one head of germs or 
micro-organisms. These are small, gener- 
ally microscopic organisms of the lowest 
forms of vegetable life. 

How Germs are Conveyed and Re= 
ceived. — Germs may be carried from one 
person to another, and received by that per- 
son in different ways. They may be con- 
veyed by actual contact, as in the case of 
ringworm, erysipelas, ophthalmia (infectious 
inflammation of the eyes), hydrophobia, 
small-pox, etc. The germs may possibly 
be taken in through the unbroken skin, but 
much more frequently through a small crack 
or sore in the skin. Secondly, they may 
be conveyed by the air, and taken in by the 
breath. This is by far the commonest 
method, as seen in whooping-cough, scarla- 
tina, small-pox, diphtheria, measles, con- 
sumption, etc. Thirdly, they may be" car- 
ried by water, and so taken into the stomach 
and intestines, as with cholera, typhoid 
fever, dysentery, etc. Fourthly, by the 
food, and taken to the stomach and intes- 
tines as before, as with typhoid fever, con- 
sumption, and foot-and-mouth disease (con- 
veyed by milk). Fifthly, they may be car- 
ried by clothes, and so get into the air, as 
with scarlatina. They may also be carried 
by insects, such as flies and mosquitoes, as 
above stated. In some instances the method 
of conveyance is mysterious, as in the 
widely -prevalent influenza, whose history 
has so far baffled res'^arch . 

Why Children Should not be Purposely 
Exposed to Infectious Fevers. — It is the 
custom with some ignorant mothers to pur- 



346 



posely expose their children to mild cases 
of fever, especially measles, chicken-pox, 
and scarlatina, because they say the children 
are certain to get them at some time or an- 
other, and in this way they think their chi' • 
dren will have mild attacks which will pro- 
tect them in the future. Such a practice is 
almost criminal, and should be absolutely 
condemned, and for the following reasons 
It is not certain that a child will have fever 
at some time or another ; if proper precau- 
tions were taken it would not have an in- 
fectious disease. A mild attack in one per- 
son is not always followed by a mild attack 
in another, but may give rise to a very 
serious one. One attack of fever does not 
necessarily prevent a second attack of the 
same fever at some future time. The death- 
rate in children suffering from most fevers 
(such as measles or scarlatina) is always 
greater than in adults. Finally, as a rule, 
the older a child grows the less likely is it 
to be attacked by a particular fever. 

Disinfectants. — ^This word should only 
be used to indicate some process or chemical 
agent which will absolutely kill germs and 
spores. It is, however, unfortunately ap- 
plied to other classes, the antiseptics, which 
will only stop the growth of the germs, but 
will not kill them ; and the deodorants, 
which merely remove disagreeable smells, 
and often have no action whatever on the 
germs themselves. It is obvious that we 
must use a true disinfectant if we wish to 
prevent the spread of disease. 

Deodorants are such substances as the 
vapors of turpentine, burning peat, or boil- 
ing tar ; such liquids as Condy's fluid, or 
various odorous fluids such as eucalyptus ; 
and such solids as charcoal or camphor. 
Most of these take away unpleasant smells, 
but are otherwise useless. 

Antiseptics include such bodies as 
borax, boracic acid, chloride of lime, thy- 
mol, Condy's fluid, and various patent dis- 
infectants (so-called). These will arrest the 
growth of germs, and so prevent putrefac- 
faction, but few of them will absolutely kill 
germs. Condy's fluid will, of course, do so, 
but only when used in such a strong solution 
that it would discolor and destroy any 
clothes put into it. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



103 



True disinfectants are of three kinds : 
fumigation, heat, and chemical. 

Fumtgation by chlorine and sulphu^'ous 
acid gas. It is probable that many spores 
will resist this method, and germs hidden, 
say in the pocket of a coat, will escc^pe de- 
struction. 

Heat. — This is the best method of disin- 
fection as, if the temperature is sufficiently 
high, all germs and their spores will be de- 
stroyed. Unfortunately, it cannot be ap- 
plied in the case of all infected articles. A 
ready method of heat-disinfection which can 
be used in eveiy household is, where possi- 
ble, to boil any infected article, as it has 
been shown that by boiling for ten minutes 
all germs and spores are destroyed. 

Chemical Disinfectants. — Although 



there are many so-called disinfectants offered 
for sale, yet only a few are true disinfectants 
if used in a strength which will not destroy 
the articles to be disinfected. Of these we 
shall only mention two, namely, carbolic 
acid and corrosive sublimate. Both of these 
are dangerous poisons, and must be handled 
with the utmost care. Carbolic acid needs 
to be diluted in the proportion of i part 
acid to 20 parts water. Corrosive sub- 
limate is sold in the form of tablets, colored 
blue to avoid accidents. These must be 
dissolved in water in the proportion of i part 
to 1,000. 

Contagious Diseases. 

The following points will help to deter- 
mine the nature of a suspicious illness : 



Disease 


Rash or Eruption 


Appearance 


Duration 
IN Days 


Remarks 


Chicken-pox . . . 
ErYSIPEIvAS .... 
MEASr,ES 

Scari,ex Fever . . 
Smai,i,-pox 

Typhoid Fever . . 


Small rose pimples 
changing to vesicles 

Diffuse redness and 
swelling 

Small red dots like flea 
bites 

Bright scarlet, difiiised 

Small red pimples 
changing to vesicles, 
then pustules . . . 

Rose-colored spots 
scattered 


2d day of fever or after 

24 hours illness . . 

2d or 3d day of illness. 

4th d a y of fever or 
after 72 hours' ill- 
ness 

2d day of fever or after 
24 hours' illness . . 

3d day of fever or after 
48 hours' illness . . 

nth to 14th day . . . 


6-7 

6-10 

8-10 
14-21 

22-30 


Scabs from about 
fourth day of fever. 

Rash fades on 7th day. 

Rash fedes on 5th day. 

Scabs form 9th or loth 
day, fell oflf about- 
14th. 

Accompanied by diar- 
rhoea. 



It will often relieve a mother's anxiety 
to know how long there is danger of infec- 
tion after a child has been exposed to a con- 



tagious disease. The following table gives 
the information concerning the more im- 
portant diseases : 



Disease 


Symptoms 
Appear 


Period 
Ranges from 


Patient is Infectious 


Chicken-pox 

Diphtheria 

Measles* 

Mumps 

Rothei^n 

ScARi,ET Fever 

Smai,i,-pox 


On 14th day 
" 2d day 
'* 14th day 
" 19th day 
" 14th day 
" 4fh day 
" 1 2th day 
" 2ist day 
" 14th day 


10 to 18 days 

2 to 5 days 

10 to 14 days 

16 to 24 days 

12 to 20 days 

I to 7 days 

I to 14 days 

I to 28 days 

7 to 14 days 


Until all scabs have fallen off. 

14 d's after disappearance of membrane. 

Until scaling and cough have ceased. 

14 days from commencement. 

10 to 14 days from commencement. 

Until all scaling has ceased. 


Typhoid Fever 

Whooping Cough! 


Until diarrhoea ceases. 

Six weeks from beginning to whoop. 



* In measles the patient is infectious three days before the eruption appears. 

t In whooping-cough the patient is infectious during the primary cough, which may be three weeks 
before the whoopi&g begins. 



I04 



THE FAMILY DOCrOR 



How to Avoid Disease. 

There are various ways in which disease 
may be avoided. One is not to expose our- 
selves to contagion or injurious influences. 
We need to be careful of the food we eat, 
the water we drink, even the air we breathe, 
for all of these, as above shown, are prolific 
sources of the germs of disease. We must 
also keep away from these aflBicted with con- 
tagious diseases, or, if obliged to enter their 
presence, take precautions to avoid in- 
fection. 

This danger is now taken in hand by the 
health authorities of cities, patients of this 
character being removed to special hos- 
pitals, or, if kept at home, the yellow 
placard of warning is conspicuously dis- 
played. Only physicians and nurses — who 
are supposed to know how to take care of 
themselves — are permitted to enter the sick- 
room, or even the house in cases of this 
kind. 

A second and highly important method 
of avoiding disease, whether infectious or 
from organic weakness, is to strengthen the 
system by dint of suitable exercises ; seek to 
breathe only fresh and pure air, adapting the 
clothing to the climate and the bodily needs, 
and in other ways endeavoring to harden 
the body and to enable it to defy the insidi- 
ous assaults of disease. 

Muscular Exercise. 

Exercise of all parts of the body is an 
absolute necessity for the maintenance of 
perfect health. If a steam-engine is allowed 
to stand idle it will soon rust and get out of 
order. Similarly, if the body has no work 
to do, it will become too fat, and the mus- 
cles will waste and get flabby, the heart will 
become weak, the circulation slow and fee- 
.ble, the blood will not be properly aerated, 
poisonous products will accumulate in the 
body, the complexion will be pale, and the 
intellect dull, and if the brain is not regu- 
larly exercised the person will merely de- 
velop into a muscular animal, no better 
than a savage ; he will be stupid, ignorant, 
and uninteresting both to himself and to 
others. 

The effect of regular muscular exercise 
is to expand the lungs, to increase the 



amount of oxygen taken in ajd the carbon 
dioxide breathed out ; the sweat is increased , 
and so exercise helps to get rid of waste 
matters from the body. The heart is 
strengthened, the blood is more aerated, the 
muscles grow larger, harder, and more ac- 
tive, the appetite and digestive powers in- 
crease, the body is kept warm, and the brain 
is more active and bright as a result of the 
general health being so good. During exer- 
cise more food is required and much pure 
air. 

The brain worker should take regular 
gymnastic exercise in a well-ventilated gym- 
nasium, or, better still, regular outdoor 
exercise, such as walking, climbing, swim- 
ming, cricket, or lawn tennis. It is very 
necessary that such exercise should be regu- 
lar, as if done irregularly or in " spurts ' ' it 
will do more harm than good, because the 
muscles, not being in training, will soon 
get tired, and the body will suffer. The 
person whose occupation is an entirely mus- 
cular one, such as the common laborer or 
the blacksmith, should spend his spare time 
in reading, music, and other mental studies. 
In other words, every man should have 
a ' ' hobby ' ' which should exercise faculties 
as different as possible from the usual occu- 
pation. There is but little danger in hard 
and continuous work, provided it is varied 
and not monotonous ; it is not work but 
worry which kills. The tendency to worry 
when there is no need, and which is such a 
prominent feature with some people, should 
be constantly kept down. 

The above rem.arks as regards exercise 
apply, of course, not only to men but to 
women, and to them almost with greater 
force, as women neglect it to such an extent. 
There are plenty of forms of perfectly wo- 
manly exercise which may be taken, such 
as walking, rowing, swimming, skating, 
and lawn tennis, and if these were indulged 
in regularly we should hear less of hysteria 
and weak backs. 

The conditions necessary for keeping the 
muscles in good order are those required for 
the healthy nutrition of every organ of the 
body ; namely : 

Good, rich blood ; distribution of blood, 
and of nerve-force, without obstruction, to 
each part ; exercise of the organs, according 
48 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



los 



to their ability ; sufficient intervals of 
repose. 

Everybody tnows that we must have 
sleep for several hours in each twenty-four, 
or we wear out. Besides sleep, however, 
which affects the brain only, there must be 
rest from action in all the muscles. 

The heart must, first of all, be protected 
from disturbance. It naturally beats faster 
when any of the large muscles are working 
actively, as when we run or walk fast ; 
especially up stairs. Our breathing is then 
hurried also ; and thus, commonly, a check 
is put upon our doing too much : we " get 
out of breath," and have to stop or slacken 
our movement. 

When the heart is overworked, one of 
two things happens. If the body is at the 
time well nourished, and its general vitality 
is good, the heart grows stronger, just as 
other muscles do, with exercise. In time it 
grows thicker also ; and this is the ' ' hyper- 
trophy " of medical books. But, if the 
overwork is incessant, the blood is thin and 
poor, and the sum of energy in the body is 
low, the heart b'ecomes weak instead ; its 
muscular fibres become pale and thin. In 
this condition they are easily stretched by 
the blood within the heart's cavities, and we 
have what doctors call ' ' dilatation of the 
heart." 

Tight lacing does mischief and impairs 
health, sometimes causing sudden death, by 
cramping the motion of the heart, as well as 
the expansion of the lungs in breathing. It 
is an enormous mistake ; all the more in- 
tolerable because the wasp-like shape which 
it gives to the female figure is unlovely as 
well as unnatural. No sculptor of classic 
Greece, no painter of Italy, in the 4ays of 
Raphael, Michael Angelo, and Titian, ever 
gave to a goddess or a Madonna such a form 
as modern fashion has sometimes tortured 
its victims to obtain. Happily, there is, of 
late years, some gain in fashion in regard to 
this matter ; the direction both of good taste 
and of hygiene. 

Modes of Exercise. 

Walking is excellent ; unsurpassed in 
benefit to the system if one can afford time 
"o get enough of it ; a pleasant country. 



moderate weather, and good company being 
almost essential to its advantages. Begin- 
ners must not walk too fast or too far. 
Stop at the end of the first hour, and sit 
down for five minutes. Rest ten minutes at 
the end of the second, and every successive 
hour, if you go on long ; and never, while 
unaccustomed to pedestrianism, go more 
than three miles in one hour. 

Riding on horseback is an admirable 
exercise ; but it leaves neglected a number 
of useful muscles, which are brought into 
action in walking. Farmers in some places 
ride on horseback almost always, if they 
have to go a mile or more ; and, in conse- 
quence, they become poor walkers. They 
often almost wear out in an hour's stroll 
over hard pavements in town. Bicycling 
much resembles riding in effect. 

Rowing is a capital exercise. More 
muscles are used in it than in walking or 
riding on horseback ; hands, arms, back, 
legs, and feet are all strenghened by it. 

Skating is as wholesome in itself as any 
exercise can be. Always in a cold, brac- 
ing atmosphere (except roller skating, of 
course, which may be anywhere), even in a 
" rink," with freedom and variety of move- 
ment of the body and limbs, yet without 
violence, it is excellent for both sexes. 

Swimming, as an exercise, apart from 
the good obtained from bathing, is less 
favorable. The pressure of the water, and 
its temperature if cool or cold, force the 
blood more or less from the surface of the 
body to the head. Swimming rapidly is, 
also, a violent exercise. But every boy and 
girl should learn to swim as early in life as 
possible, so as to lessen the danger when 
" overboard " unexpectedly anywhere. 

Out=of door games, as lawn tennis, cro- 
quet, cricket, base-ball, are all, in modera- 
tion, not only enjoyable, but wholesome in 
their effect upon the bodily condition. Ex- 
hilaration of mind makes all exercise more 
beneficial. It is astonishing what an amount 
of work people will do under the name of 
play. A Chinese mandarin, on seeing a 
number of English gentlemen engaged act- 
ively in a game of base- ball or cricket said, 
" In my country we always pay people foi 
taking so much trouble to amuse us." No 



349 



io6 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



treadmill, however, would ever build up 
muscle like the cricket ground. 

Healthy Breathing. — Little thought is 
needed, for every one to see that for good 
breathing there must be sound lungs and 
air- tubes, and strength in the muscles of the 
chest, as well as pure air. Our breathing 
muscles can be strengthened by exercise. 
All active muscular movements of any part 
of the body, but especially brisk walking 
or running, quicken the action of the heart ; 
and, as the blood then goes more rapidly 
through the lungs, it needs to be, and is, 
aired by quicker breathing. 

Using the voice a great deal (as in speak- 
ing or singing) in early life, promotes the 
growth of the lungs and the strength of the 
breathing muscles. Those who belong to 
consumptive families should, while young, 
be accustomed to active out-of-door habits ; 
and for them, reading or speaking aloud or 
singing (vocal gymnastics) will be whole- 
some exercise ; that is, so long as they are 
well . When the lungs are actually diseased , 
active efforts of all kinds should be avoided. 

Pure air, and plenty of it, is a constant 
necessity for health. The application of 
this truth belongs in many ways to our 
every-day life, especially, of course, within 
doors. Out of doors we can usually trust 
to nature to supply us a fair share of whole- 
some air, if, of course, we keep away from 
localities in which the air is vitiated by bad 
sanitation or other unwholesome surround- 
ings. 

Personal Cleanliness. — The importance 
of cleanliness in all the actions of life is al- 
most too apparent to need mention, were it 
not that it is so much neglected by many. 
Not only cleanliness of the skin, the hair, 
the teeth, the nails, and the clothing is 
necessary, but also cleanliness in all our 
habits. By this means we shall avoid many 
diseases which are entirely due to dirt of vari- 
ous kinds. The old and excellent defini- 
tion that dirt is matter in the wrong place 
suggests that it should be removed ; and 
when we remember that this dirt may con- 
sist of irritating particles of minerals in the 
form of dust, or of poisonous chemicals, and, 
more fatally, of disease germs, we shall be 
greatly impressed with the necessity of being 
clean. 



350 



Clothing. 

Clothing, to promote health, should be : 
sufficient for comfortable warmth ; not ex- 
cessive in quantity or pressure; properly 
distributed over the body ; suited to permit 
transpiration and moisture ; changed often 
enough for cleanliness. 

Some persons, with the idea of hardening 
themselves, wear as little clothing in winter 
as possible. This is perhaps well enough if 
they are very robust ; but if not strong, they 
become chilled through and may be severely 
reduced in health. 

Yet it is equally a mistake to keep one's 
self too warm, burdening the body with un- 
necessary clothing. The same is true of 
bed-covering, in respect to which people 
have very different needs. On the same 
night one may be satisfied with a single 
blanket, while another needs two or three. 
Every one ought to be warm enough to 
sleep comfortably. 

Kind of Clothing. — We should adapt the 
amount and quality of our clothing to the 
weather. Not by the almanac, however, as 
the seasons do not follow it exactly. Chi- 
nese people, it is said, having cool nights 
and very hot noons, begin the day with 
several light garments on. As the hours of 
morning bring warmth, off goes one thing 
after another, till by noon-day they have 
only one or two covers left. With the cool- 
ing of the afternoon they again begin to put 
them on ; and so, hour by hour, they get 
back to the morning's raiment. This is 
reasonable enough. Many persons among 
us make the mistake of wearing too little 
clothing (as well as keeping their houses 
too cool) in the changeable and uncertain 
weather of spring and autumn ; and a large 
number of " colds " are caught in that way. 

Of the materials in use for clothing, the 
warmest (besides furs) is wool. An open, 
porous fabric, containing air, conducts heat 
more slowly than a smooth, dense one ; be- 
cause air itself is a slow heat-conductor. So 
a tight-fitting kid glove scarcely keeps the 
hand warm, while a loose mitten is very 
comfortable in cold weather. 

Silk is a slow conductor also, and it is 
warm for garments in proportion to its thick- 
ness. It conducts electricity very slowly, 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



107 



wliicli makes it particularly suitable for 
undergarments with those who are liable to 
pains and aches on damp days, or when the 
wind is " easterly." 

Next to wool and silk comes cotton 
( muslin) ; and the coolest of all are linen 
garments. These are most fit for midsum- 
mer wear, when our American climate is, by 
fits and starts at least, tropical. Kvery one 
should be prepared, however, at all seasons 
with extras to put on in case of change of 
weather from warm to cool. 

In our variable climate, delicate persons, 
especially those liable to rheumatism or 
neuralgia, generally find advantage in wear- 
ing either light flannel or silk next to the 
body even through the summer, with a 
heavier kind, of course, for winter. 

In the distribution of clothing over the 
body, the main part to keep warm is the 
chest. As it contains the heart and lungs, 
all the blood in the body passes through it 
constantly, and conveys its temperature 
everywhere. Moreover, chilling the heart 
or lungs endangers injury to those central 
organs themselves. 

Next, the abdomen must be sufl5ciently 
protected. Great organs, the stomach, 
bowels, liver, spleen, kidneys, etc,, are con- 
tained in it, and are all (most of all the 
bowels) liable to attacks of disorder from 
cold. Sudden changes of temperature often 
bring on diarrhoea ; sometimes, cholera- 
morbus or dysentery. 

Then, the extremities. Of these, the 
feet must be best cared for. They are 
farthest from the heart, and nearest to the 
ground. Hence, at the same general tem- 
perature, they suffer most from cold. Chil- 
dren, in mild climates, may grow up accus- 
tomed to running about barefoot, if they 
have freedom and space to acquire active 
habits. 

Night Attire — At bedtime all the clothes 
should be changed, the day clothes being 
hung up to be dried and ventilated. The 
night clothes should be made of cotton, 
which is not irritating to the skin as woolen 
is. Sufficient warmth will be given by the 
bedclothes, which should consist in part of 
blankets or feathers, and should be light 
and warm. A woollen night-dress, besides 
being irritating, promotes too much perspira- 

35 



tion, and makes the body hot ; but for 
young children; old people, rheumatic sub- 
jects, or in very cold climates, a woolen 
night-dress is necessary. 

How to Live Long. 

As a brief summary statement of the 
most essential conditions of health and 
longevity, we may conclude our study of 
Hygiene with the following precepts : 

1 . Never breathe three breaths of foul air 
when you can get out from it into that 
which is fresh, or can get fresh air into the 
place where you are. 

2. Eat when you are hungry, and only 
wholesome food. Eat slowly, and stop as 
soon as hunger is satisfied. 

3. Drink pure water when you are 
thirsty ; take milk as part of your daily 
food ; a cup of tea, not too strong, if you 
like it, or cocoa; but coffee only when you 
are very tired ; and alcoholic beverages, 
while in good health and strength, never. 
Also, make no use of tobacco. 

4. Dress always with a view to comfort 
and convenience ; not compressing the chest, 
nor impeding the movement of any of the 
limbs. 

5 . Be careful to maintain a regular habit 
of daily movement of the bowels. 

6. Rest, if you can, when tired, and 
sleep when sleepy. Take eight hours of 
sleep every night ; more, if you feel the 
need of it, and can get it. 

7. Work regularly at something every 
day, and do the best you can throughout ; 
but avoid over-work. The sign of it is, 
that you wake up tired, not refreshed, in 
the morning. 

8. Never do any regular week-day labor 
(simple unavoidable small chores excepted) 
on the first day of the week. Make it a day 
of repose and renovation for mind and body. 

9. However rich you may be, do not 
make pleasure the aim and object of life ; it 
will wear you out faster than work, or even 
worry. 

L,astly, let every day be cheered by sun- 
shine from above, and brightened by the 
hope of a better life to come. 



iOS 



VALUE OF VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL FOOD 



No subject is of more vital importance 
to the care of health than that of food. 
Hence a knowledge of the value of various 
food products is indispensable to housekeep- 
ers and to those who value their own health. 

Are vegetarians right, who insist that 
we should eat no meat at all ? Their argu- 
ment is, that vegetables contain all the ele- 
ments required for our nourishment, made 
up into organic stuff, ready to be digested 
and built up into our tissues and used as 
fuel. Hence, they say, it is useless, cruel, 
and expensive to slay our subject animals to 
gratify our carnivorous taste. 

True, plants, roots, seeds, and fruits do 
contain everything absolutely necessary for 
food. Men often live for years, many per- 
haps (after infancy) for lifetimes, without 
animal food. But that is not the whole 
question. Is a solely vegetable diet the best 
for health with all people? 

On this we must inquire further ; are the 
elements in exactly the same state of combi- 
7iatlon in vegetables as in meat ? Our 
answer is, no. They are more concentrated 
in animal flesh, are worked up already into 
animal substances, and therefore aii more 
readily assimilated than vegetable food. 

Can we judge by anything in our strnc- 
iure which we are best fitted for ? Flesh- 
eating beasts, as lions, cats, dogs, have only 
sharp, cutting, and tearing teeth. Grass- 
eaters have nippers in front, and all the back 
teeth broad-crowned, nearly flat. We resem- 
ble the bear, hog, and rat, in having teeth 
for cutting in front, tearing at the sides, and 
broad, grinders back in our jaws. 

The length of the human alimentary 
canal (that is, stomach and intestines) is 
about six times that of our bodies ; interme- 
diate between that of the purely carnivorous 
and of the entirely herbivoyus animals. It 
would seem then that, like the bear, hog, 
and rat, we are made fit for either animal or 
vegetable food. We are om?iivoroiis. 

On the whole, this is the conclusion to 
which physicians and sanitarians have gen- 
erally come — that, with healthy people, 
living in the open country, not working 
very hard, and having an abundance of good j 

o5 



vegetable food, meat is not necessary. They 
can live long lives without it. But, in close- 
built cities, where the air is not pure, where 
work is hard, and "vexation of spirit" 
abounds, a mixed diet is best. 

Bread. 

Time out of mind ' ' the staflFof life," was 
made of brayed grain by our ancient fore- 
fathers before they left Western Asia. Bread 
contains nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous 
food principles ; gluten and starch, as well 
as salts. It is adapted both for tissue-build- 
ing and for energy-producing use in the 
body. 

Wheat bread is as strong in nitrogen as 
any, and is richer than other kinds in phos- 
phates, which are supposed to be in part 
nerve-feeders. The whitest of flour does not 
make the most nourishing bread. The rich- 
est part of the grain is just beneath the chafi", 
making slightly yellowish flour. Improved 
ways of grinding wheat now retain nearly 
all of this strength of the flour, some of 
which was formerly wasted. 

Rye meal makes, by itself, a nourishing 
but less spongy bread than wheat. It is 
very largely eaten by people in Northern 
Europe. The best way to use it in making 
bread is to mix it with an equal or less 
quantity of wheat flour. 

Bread must be properly raised to be 
good. This is done by a fermentation , which 
takes place in the starch (it first becoming 
changed to sugar) of the dough, under the 
action of yeast. Sugar, when it ferments, 
is converted into alcohol and carbonic-acid 
gas. The alcohol is very small in amount. 
The carbonic acid gas is kept in by the 
sticky, ■pa.sty gluten, of which good flour has 
about twelve per cent. Thus the dough is 
stretched or expanded into a spongy mass. 
Baking dries it somewhat, and makes it 
more or less crisp, or at least takes away 
the adhesiveness of the dough. 

Faults of bread, which make it less 
wholesome, as well as less agreeable, are 
heaviness, sourness, bitterness, monldines^, 
and an excess of saline material- Heavy, iil- 
raised, and under-baked bread is very 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



109 



tinwliolesoine. Sotii" bread is so also. It is 
made by ^z'^r-raising, or by using spoiled 
flour. Bitterness comes either from bad 
yeast or too much of the yeast being used ; 
mouldiness, from the flour or bread being 
kept too long. 

Other ways of raising bread are : using 
salceratus, bicarbonate of potassium, from 
which the carbonic acid is set free by 
warmth, or by adding sour milk, containing 
lactic acid ; or putting in the dough sour 
milk and bicarbonate of sodium ; or carbon- 
ate of ammonium (smelling salt) ; or phos- 
phoric acid and bicarbonate of sodium 
(Horsford's process). Still another plan is 
to make the carbonic acid as it is made for 
* ' mineral water, ' ' and then by pressure to 
force it into the dough. This constitutes 
" unfermented aerated bread." When care- 
fully made, it is very good, keeps well, and 
can safely take the place of ordinary bread. 

Hot fresh bread has a somewhat more 
adhesive or pasty quality than stale bread. 
The gastric juice, therefore, does not so 
readily penetrate and digest it. Persons 
with entirely sound digestion have no trou- 
ble in disposing of it ; but dyspeptics should 
always prefer stale bread. 

Adulterations of flour are most often 
alum, chalk, lime, and potato meal. A little 
alum is frequently put in by bakers to whiten 
the bread, as well as to make it weigh more 
when sold by the pound. Much alum makes 
it unwholesome, irritating the stomach and 
binding the bowels. Potato meal is harm- 
less, but a fraud when mixed with wheat 
flour, as it costs much less, and is not so 
nourishing. The microscope will detect it. 

Bran bread (as before remarked) is 
rougher than that of white flour, and so, by 
stimulating the muscular coat of the bow- 
els, it helps to keep them open. Rye bread 
is about as nourishing as wheat. Oatmeal 
does not rise so well as wheat flour, but in 
cakes, porridge, gruel, and grits, it makes 
an admirable food. 

Buckwheat is nourishing, but proves to 
be rather better suited, in buckwheat cakes, 
for an occasional luxury than for a stand-by 
diet. Barley is not a strong meal, though 
"John Barleycorn" makes a very strong 
drink when fermented and distilled. Barley 



water is often a good addition to milk when 
it disagrees with young infants. 

Rice contains but a moderate amount of 
nitrogen, but plenty of starch, and (like 
other grains) some salts ; and it is very 
easily digested. Chinamen and Hindus, 
many millions ofthem, live chiefly on it. It 
is soothing to tne bowels, and particularly 
suitable in cases of diarrhoea. 

Corn (maize), so much used in this 
country and in Southern Europe, is fairly 
nitrogenous, and is comparatively rich in 
fat. It affords good and serviceable food, 
whether eaten from the ear (sugar corn, boil- 
ing ears) or made into bread, mush or gruel. 
It is not, however, quite so easily digested 
as wheat, oatmeal, or rice. 

Vegetables. 

Peas and Beans are highly nitrogenous, 
besides containing a great deal of starch. 
But that their share of salts, especially phos- 
phates, is less, and that they are more 
uncertain of digestion, they would rank 
along with wheat bread in value. 

What we call the Irish potato is really 
of American origin. Abounding in starch, 
potatoes contain but little nitrogen. Their 
great merit is, that they produce largely for 
their cost ; they can be made palatable by 
cooking, and go a great ways in bulk as food. 

The Sweet Potato is an Old World plant, 
known long before the discovery of America. 
It is harder to keep than the round or white 
potato, easily undergoing a sort of sugary 
decay. At the best, it is not quite so easily 
digested as the round potato. The yavi of 
the Kast and West Indies, is a root some- 
what analagous to the sweet potato, and 
another similar root is a good deal eaten in 
the Sandwich Islands. 

The Tomato is really 2, fruit. It is more 
nearly always wholesome for everybody than 
any other of what we call vegetables. Tur- 
nips, carrots, parsnips, the onion, cabbage, 
squash, and salsify, all rank below potatoes 
and tomatoes in digestibility. 

Cauliflowers and Cabbages, are plants 
of the same species, differently developed. 
But the cauliflower is, under cultivation, 
much the most tender and digestible. 



353 



no 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Beets, when young, are very easily 
digested ; quite otherwise after they grow 
old and tough. Asparagus, of the best 
quality, is entirely wholesome. Spinach, 
in good condition, is not at all indigestible. 

Mushrooms are strong and meat-like 
food, wholesome for most, but not for all 
people. The point of importance is, to be 
sure ///(fya/r mushrooms. A number of other 
fioigi are safe and nourishing, but some are 
very poisonous. Never gather or eat what 
are called mushrooms unless they have, un- 
derneath, pink gills, so called, and above, 
as well as on the stem, a skin which can be 
easily peeled off ; also, they have no unpleas- 
ant taste or smell, and grow not in dark 
woods, but in rather open fields. 

Celery, when white and tender, is, in 
moderation, very wholesome, either raw or 
stewed. It represents, when eaten raw, a 
class of food articles (the radish and lettuce 
are others) of more importance than is gener- 
ally appreciated. We need, every few days, 
to take something in its natural state, which 
has " never seen the fire." 

Fruits. 

As a rule, fresh fruits are wholesome. 
They promote the natural action of the 
bowels, and are refreshing and antiscorbutic. 
When the bowels are disordered, as in diar- 
rhoea or dysentery (except when these result 
from scurvy ),they are not suitable. 

All fruits are not equally digestible or 
desirable for persons of uncertain health. 
Peaches, apples, and oranges come the nearest 
to being good for everybody while in health ; 
and oranges, as well as the finer and more 
delicate kinds of grapes, are often with 
advantage allowed to the sick. Many grapes 
have a tough pulp, which ought not to be 
swallowed ; and the seeds never should be. 
They, and apple cores, and even cherry- 
stones, are often taken into the stomach, 
with no harm following. But they are not 
digestible, and now and then they collect 
together and cause obstruction. There is a 
queer little offset to the large intestine into 
which, in a few instances, an apple-seed or 
some such thing has found its way, produc- 
ing an inflammation ending in death. 



The least wholesome of our domestic kinds 
maybe said to be the cherry^ and, doubtful 
for all dyspeptics, also, pears; of foreign 
fruits, figs and pineapples. Prunes (partly 
dried plums), y?^^, and dates are especially 
laxative to the bowels. 

Stewed fruits are far less uniformly diges- 
tible than the same eaten fresh, in season. 
Prese7-ves ought to be ruled out of the diet of 
dyspeptics, and taken, as a rare indulgence, 
in small quantities only, by all. Lanona'le, 
made with the juice of lemons (not citric 
acid of the drug-shop), is not only refresh- 
ing but beneficial to most persons in hot 
weather, and when sick with fever. But, 
in the last case, irritability of the stomach 
or bowels may sometimes prevent its use. 

Canned fruits, put up with skill and care, 
may approach very nearly to fresh fruits in 
wholesomeness ; but the skill and care actu- 
ally used are often far from perfect. More- 
over, of the different materials employed for 
keeping fruit or other food for a long time, 
the safest and best, undoubtedly, \s glass. 

Eggs. 

There is excellent nourishment, mostly 
albuminoid, but with a small amount of fat 
(in the yolk) in eggs. There is, of course, 
no truth in the popular saying, that "an 
^g<g is as good as a pound of meat." In 
proportion to its weight, an 0.^% is equally 
nourishing with meat; that is all. It is of 
great consequence that eggs shall be fresh 
when eaten. 

Meats. 

All parts of the Animal Kingdom furnish 
food for men in some quarters of the earth. 
Vertebrates are represented abundantly; in 
viammals (as the ox and sheep), birds, rep- 
tiles, (^. ^. the terrapin), and yf^/z^fj-. Mol- 
luscs, as oysters and clams, are favorites 
with many. Articulates are familiar in the 
lobster, crab, prawn, and shrimp. 

Beef is the strongest kind of meat, the 
most concentrated albuminoid food. It is, 
also, when tender, as digestible as any other 
article of diet. Many dyspeptics eat only 
beef and bread every day. A larger range, 
however, would nearly always be better for 
them. Signs of good quality in beef are 
these: it should be of a fresh red color, 



354 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



lit 



fielther pale-pink nor dark-purple ; marble- 
veined lightly with fat ; not wet, but firm to 
the touch ; with little odor, none unpleasant ; 
should shrink but little in cooking. If 
tested with litmus paper, its juice will show 
acidity by reddening it. 

Veal is not nearly so easily digested as 
beef. Some persons, not usually dyspeptic, 
have to avoid it altogether. A bad fraud in 
some city markets is the sale of too young 
veal ("bob" veal). It ought never to be 
eaten before it is four or five weeks old. 

Mutton is very nearly (some analysts 
say quite) as strong a nitrogenous food as 
beef, and scarcely less digestible with some 
persons. Kither kind of meat may be tough 
or tender, and so may give the stomach, as 
well as the teeth, more labor in disposing of 
it. Tough meat does not pay ; don't buy it. 
Internal work in digestion has to be econo- 
mized or supported like external work, or 
the strength goes down. 

Lamb is more desirable every way than 
old mutton. It seldom, or never, comes to 
our markets too young. 

Pork should always be avoided by dys- 
peptics and by persons of uncertain peptic 
powers. ^// rules about diet are intened for 
these. Healthy people can digest almost 
anything, except bob veal and very ancient 
knife-resisting mutton, or leathery skirt of 
beef; anything, in short, that their teeth will 
chew. Fresh pork, for the hearty, active 
man or woman, or roast pig, is good and 
nourishing; but it must always be well done. 
All hog-meat must be cooked through (not 
only on the surface) to destroy any possible 
parasites which it may contain. Of these, 
trichi7iee are the worst, being dangerous to 
life ; but they are certain to be killed, and 
thus made harmless, by thoroughly cooking 
the meat. Smoking it without cooking will 
not make it safe. Freezing it may do so. 

Birds have weaker, less nitrogenous 
meat than mammals, but generally more 
tender and delicate. Most digestible of 
domestic birds are the turkey, chicken, and 
guinea-fowl ; less so the duck (though often 
very good), and least fit for doubtful stom- 
achs, the goose. Pigeons are moderately 
digestible, but one soon tires of them. Our 



wild partridges, prairie chickens, and grouse 
(some of which are called pheasants, but 
there are no true pheasants native to this 
country), and quails, are very good game- 
birds for the table. So are reed-birds 
(favorites for invalids and convalescents) , 
woodcock, snipe, and canvas -back ducks. 
The turkey is perhaps our most valuable 
original contribution to the diet of mankind, 
unless we except the potato and maize. 

Fish, of some kinds, are consumed in 
almost all parts of the world. Thousands 
of people depend upon fishing for a living. 
There is still less nitrogenous material in 
fish than in birds' meat ; some, as the sal- 
mon, have a good deal of fat. A larger pro- 
portion of the phosphates (salts containing 
phosphorus) is present in their substance 
than in land animals. Some persons 
imagine that fish are therefore especially a 
brain-making diet. But there is enough of 
the phosphate in ordinary meat and bread 
for any one's brains, if he can appropriate and 
assimilate them well. Fresh fish, nicely 
cooked, are wholesome and nourishing. 

Of articulates, lobsters, crabs, prawns, 
and shrimps have been already mentioned. 
Lobsters, at least, when fresh, are not un- 
wholesome for most people. Remember, 
everything taken out of the water spoils soon 
after it dies. The place to enjoy lobsters, 
crabs, and shrimps safely is at the seashore. 

Molluscs, as oysters and clams, are 
nowhere more appreciated than in America. 
Our oysters are probably the best in the 
world ; although in tropical waters they 
grow a great deal larger. Clams are tougher, 
and much less digestible ; their soup can be 
enjoyed, however, without risking the hard 
clam itself. 

Convalescents can begin with good sound 
oysters before they dare venture upon more 
solid food. One of their virtues is that they 
can be cooked in so many ways. Raw, they 
are digestible by the hungry man almost 
always. Roasted in the shell, they are man- 
ageable by every stomach that has any gastric 
juice in it ; no solid is more digestible. 
Panned, steamed, stewed, broiled they are 
digestible and wholesome. Fried oysters 
must be, with the dyspeptic, quite forbidden. 



355 



112 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Time Table .for the Housekeeper. 



Mode of 


Time of 


Time of 


Preparation 


Cooking 


Digestion 




H. M. 


H. M. 


Raw 




2 50 


Raw 


• « • 


I 50 


Boiled 


15 to 30 


2 30 


Boiled 


I 00 


2 30 


Boiled 


45 


3 45 


Roasted 


*25 


3 00 


Broiled 


15 


3 00 


Fried 


15 


4 00 


Boiled 


2 00 


3 45 


Boiled 


430 


4 00 


Baked 


45 


3 15 


Baked 


I 00 


3 30 


Melted 


. . • 


3 30 


Boiled 


I GO 


4 30 


Boiled 


1-2 00 


2 30 


Baked 


45 


2 30 


Boiled 


I 00 


3 15 


Raw 


. . . 


3 30 


Fricasseed 


I 00 


3 45 


Boiled 


*I5 


2 00 


Baked 


30 


2 45 


Roasted 


I 30 


4 00 


Roasted 


I 00 


4 50 


Boiled 


I 00 


3 00 


Boiled 


10 


3 30 


Boiled 


3 


3 00 


Fried 


5 


3 30 


Boiled 


I 00 


4 00 


Boiled 


* 20 


2 30 


Hashed 


30 


2 30 


Boiled 




2 00 


Roast 


*25 


3 15 


Broiled 


20 


3 00 


Boiled 


1-2 00 


3 00 


Stewed 


5 


3 30 


Boiled 


I 00 


3 00 


Soused 




I 00 


Roast 


*30 


5 15 


Boiled 


*25 


430 


Fried 




4 15 


Broiled 


20 


3 15 


Boiled 


30 


3 30 


Baked 


45 


3 30 


Roasted 


45 


2 30 


Boiled 


20 


I 00 


Fried 


25 


4 00 


Boiled 


I 00 


4 00 


Boiled 


2 00 


3 00 


Boiled 


t3 3o 


3 30 


Boiled 


1-2 00 


2 30 


Boiled 


130 


2 00 


Fresh 


I 00 


2 30 


Canned 


30 


2 30 


Fried 


30 


I 30 


Roasted 


* 20 


2 30 


Boiled 


45 


3 30 


Broiled 


20 


4 00 



Apples, sour, hard 

Apples, sweet and rnellow . . 

Asparagus 

Beans (pod) 

Beans with green Com .... 

Beef 

Beefsteak 

Beefsteak 

Beets, young 

Beets, old 

Bread, Corn 

Bread, Wheat 

Butter 

Cabbage 

Cauliflower 

Cake, Sponge 

Carrot, Orange 

Cheese, old 

Chicken 

Codfish, dry and whole . . . 

Custard (one quart) 

Duck, tame 

Duck, wild 

Dumpling, Apple 

Eggs, hard 

Eggs, soft 

Eggs 

Fowls, domestic, roasted or , . 

Lamb 

Meat and vegetables 

Milk 

Mutton 

Mutton 

Onions 

Oysters 

Parsnips 

Pigs' Feet 

Pork 

Pork 

Pork, raw or 

Pork 

Potatoes 

Potatoes 

Potatoes 

Rice 

Sausage 

Soup, Vegetable 

Soup, Chicken 

Soup, Oyster or mutton . . . 

Spinach 

Tapioca 

Tomatoes 

Tomatoes 

Trout, Salmon, fresh, boiled or 

Turkey, boiled or 

Turnips 

Veal 



* Minutes to the pound. f Mutton Soup. 

The time given is the general average; the time will vary slightly with the quality of the article. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



113 



THE HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT 



The hocieopathic treatment given in this 
book is by a homeopathic physician of over 
forty years' active experience. He is a 
member of the American Institute of Homeo- 
pathy and its Society of Seniors. A mem- 
ber and Kx- President of a State Medical 
and several other medical societies ; Ex- 
Vice- President of a State Surgical and 
Gynecological Society ; Honorary member 
of two State Societies ; an author and writer 
for medical journals for over thirty-five 
years, and his writings are eagerly read 
everywhere. He says: "Your readers 
should understand that, if they wish for 
reliable remedies, they must purchase them 
of some reliable homeopathic pharmacist or 
reliable physician ; for homeopathic reme- 
dies kept in drug stores are liable to be 
more or less injurious by the odors that per- 
vade the store, and their sales are so infre- 
quent the remedies are liable to be wholly 
or partly useless by long standing. ' ' 

In the following diseases, it is best to 
give the third decimal attenuation, unless 
specified in that particular disease, and they 
can be bought in liquid or globule form or 
a few in a powdered form. No. 35 globules 
is a convenient form to use ; two, three or 
four globules, at a dose ; a dose once in 
from ten or fifteen minutes, to once or twice 
a day. 

If liquids are given, two or three drops 
in one-half glass of water, a teaspoonful at 
a dose, repeated or given same as globules. 

Remember, it is not the amount of medi- 
cine given that cures, but the right kind. 

Much has been said and written about the 
homeopathic dose, but a dose just large 
enough to cure may be considered a homeo- 
pathic dose. 

Abortions. — To avoid them there should 
be no active mental excitement. The use 
or smell of turpentine, even in paint, is very 
dangerous. If threatened from fright. Acon- 
ite is the remedy. Belladonna if there is 
headache, red face and hemorrhage of bright 
blood ; Cinnamon for hemorrhage. If abor- 
tion is feared with weak bearing down sen- 
sation, Helonias, second decimal, a dose 



night and morning or several times a day. 
If from injury. Arnica is the remedy. 

Abscess. — If for any threatened abscess 
and pain. Belladonna; then give Hypo- 
phosphite of lime first decimal trituration. 
If suppuration is feared give Hepar sul. ; 
as high as the thirteenth attenuation is 
better than lower to hasten suppuration. 
At first, bathe with tincture of Myrrh and 
add it to poultices if used. 

Acne — Flesh=Worms — Blackheads — 
Comedones. — This is a skin-disease, occur- 
ring about the face and chest of young people, 
and very disfiguring in appearance ; it is situ- 
ated in the oil-glands of the skin , the function 
of which is to lubricate the hair ; the gland 
becomes filled by the secretion, which dries, 
and by its irritating presence sets up more 
or less inflammation in the little gland and 
its duct ; as the production of the oily ma- 
terial progresses, the accumulation causes 
the orifice of the duct to rise slightly above 
the level of the skin, and dust adhering to 
the projecting cheesy material, gives to the 
disease the characteristic appearance whence 
it derives its name. The disease, though 
harmless in its nature, may last a long time, 
as fresh spots often appear as the old ones 
are healing. 

Treatment consists of careful regulation 
of the general health, pressing out the little 
masses as they accumulate, and thorough 
cleanliness. Tarsoap and plenty of friction 
of the skin should be used. 

Remedies. — Give Bromide of Arsenic, 
sixth decimal, four times a day at first, then 
twice or once a day is almost a specific. 

After-Pains. — ^They are rarely trouble- 
some after a first confinement, but are apt to 
increase in severity at each succeeding one. 
After-pains are, in moderation, salutary, and 
are caused by the efforts of the womb to attain 
that properly contracted condition on which 
the woman's safety depends. If they are 
very severe, it is generally owing to the 
presence of clotted blood, which must be 
expelled before they moderate. A constant, 
unintermitting after-pain coming on very 



3T R 



357 



114 



THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR 



soon after the termination of labor, is often 
SN^mptomatic of internal flooding, and should 
be attended to accordingly. 

Treatment — Omit bandage to prevent, 
aud give Arnica after serious labor. Pul- 
satilla, pains in back and abdomen. Caulo- 
phyllum for labor-like pains. Cimicifuga 
if the pains are in the back and extend down 
the limbs. 

Ague. — To stop chills, give a cup of hot 
cofiee, no sugar, no milk, and the juice of a 
lemon added. Drink when the chill is be- 
ginning. It is better than the highly lauded 
quinine, and has no injurious effects like 
quinine. The remedy to take the place of 
quinine is Picrate of Ammonia, sixth 
decimal, every two hours, or once or twice 
a day according to the severity of the case. 
The only way to perfectly cure it is to give 
the truly indicated remedy considerably 
attenuated and not too often repeated. Apis 
mel, chill begins in front of chest and abdo- 
men at three or four p. m. Thirsty during 
chill, can't bear a warm room during chill ; 
joints and muscles sore. 

Arnica. — Morning or evening, much 
yawning and stretching before chill. Does 
not shake, shivers only. 

Arsetiiaim. — All times, mostly at one or 
two p. M. Alternation of heat and chill ; 
better from warmth. During fever very 
restless, great heat, unquenchable thirst, 
drinks but little at a time and often. Dur- 
ing sweat, drinks large quantities. 

Camphor. — During chill, icy coldness all 
over, but will not remain covered. 

Capsicum. — Chill begins in back. 

China. — Chill on certain days, regular 
once in two or three or six days. Violent 
chill, no thirst. Liver and spleen swollen 
and painful. 

Eupatorium Per/. — Begins in back seven 
to nine a. m. Thirst for water, but it causes 
vomiting. Bitter vomiting at close of chill. 

Ignatia. — Any time, most often in even- 
ing. Thirst for large quantities of water 
during chill, no thirst during fever. 

Ipecacuayiha. — Any hour, generally eleven 
A.M. During chill worse from warmth. 
Chill lessened by drinking. 

Natru7n Muriaticum. — Chill every day 
at ten to eleven a.m. Dreads the chill. 



Before chill, thirst for laige quantities of 
water. Violent chill begins in hands and 
feet. Lips and nails blue. Fever long and 
severe, with thirst and headache. Profuse 
perspiration. Fever blisters around the 
mouth. 

Nux Vomica. — To be given if drugs 
have been taken. Chill generally in even- 
ing or early morning, severe and long. 
Thirsty, worse from drinking Must be 
covered up, but the warmth does not re- 
lieve. 

Alcoholism and Its Treatment. — 
The results of the abuse of alcohol upon 
the system are caused both by its immediate 
local action upon the stomach, and its re- 
mote effects upon the various organs of the 
body after its absorption into the circulation . 
In the former case, it acts in the same man- 
ner as any other irritant, causing inflamma- 
tion of the mucous membrane of the digestive 
organs, and leading to inflammation of the 
mouth, throat, stomach, etc., each of which 
should receive consideration in proper treat- 
ment; but its action upon the nervous and cir- 
culatory systems, results in well-defined dis- 
turbances, dangerous not only to the life of 
the affected individual, but perilous to all 
who may come in contact with him. Vari- 
ous conditions, which may be classified as 
acute and chronic^ may occur, the result of 
this unfortunate habit. Of the former, the 
ordinary manifestations of intoxication are 
but too well known ; the higher intellectual 
faculties are in abeyance, and the more pro- 
found the intoxication, either from the 
amount ingested or the greater susceptibility 
of the patient, the more the brutal and 
animal characteristics become unmasked. 
Happily, the poison is volatile, and the re- 
sulting nausea, vomiting, and stuporous 
sleep give nature an opportunity of elim- 
inating it from the system, and the patient 
awakens sober, but with headache, foul 
stomach, and a nervous system more or less 
shattered by the indulgence. 

Treatment. — For the morning vomit- 
ing, Arsenicum. The general condition is 
best treated by Nux Vomica ; and in the 
acute attacks Hyoscyamus or Belladonna 
should be given. 



358 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



115 



The potent remedy for this disease is 
Cannabis Indica, tincture; drop doses once 
in two or fourh ours. Nux vomica for 
stomach symptoms following. 

Alopecia — Falling of tlie Hair — Bald- 
ness. — Falling of the hair occurs normally 
in advanced age, and is then accompanied by 
wasting of the hair-follicles, and is not bene- 
fited by treatment. At an earlier period of 
life it takes place as the sequel of many acute 
diseases, notably fevers ; in the latter case 
the follicles, as a rule, are not destroyed, 
the hair reappearing at first very fine in tex- 
ture, but in time becoming coarser. 

Treatment-. — Bathe head occasionally, 
with very dilute crude Petroleum. Sulphur 
should be given at first, then Hepar sul. or 
Rhus tox. 

Anaemia— Lack of Blood. — ^This term 
is applied to a condition in which there is 
deficiency of the red-blood globules, and 
consequently a thin and pale state of the 
blood. It results from any prolonged 
drain upon the system, such as diarrhea, 
profuse discharges of fluids, either from 
hemorrhages or discharges from abscesses ; 
from acute disease in which the vital powers 
have been violently assailed, or from chronic 
wasting diseases, such as consumption, 
Bright's disease, etc. 

Trkatment. — As this disease is the result 
of some local disease, it is necessary to re- 
move that disease. Many times it is some- 
thing that can be removed by Calcarea carb. 
or Pulsatilla. As iron is so liable to pro- 
duce such unpleasant results following its 
use, as disease of the bones or stomach, but 
more especially a strong tendency to diseases 
of the lungs, a cough very hard to cure but 
more liable to end in consumption, its use 
should be substituted by a vegetable iron, 
Sanguis draconis. This is best given 
dissolved (the gum) in Port or California 
wine, shaken till dissolved, and a table- 
spoonful, three or four times a day. 

Dissolve one ounce of gum in one pint 
of wine. The wine can be renewed once or 
twice. 

Angina Pectoris, or 5pasm of the Heart, 
is one of the most formidable and painful of 
the affections which terminate human life. 
It occurs more generally after middle age, 
and is more frequent in men than women. 



Symptoms^ — The attack is characterized 
by the sudden onset of agonizing pain , re- 
ferred to the center of the chest, or a little 
to the left side of it, passing through to the 
spine, up to the left shoulder, and down the 
arm of the same side even to the extremities 
of the fingers. Sometimes both arms are 
affected. Along with the pain, which is 
always said to be agony beyond description, 
there is a sensation as of instant impending 
death. The paroxysm ceases as suddenly 
as it comes on. Angina pectoris may be 
preceded by warning symptoms, palpitation, 
shortness of breathing, indigestion, or it may 
come on unheralded by any of these, gener- 
ally during some slight exertion, as walking 
up hill, or during strong mental emotion, 
but not unfrequently in the night, after the 
first sleep. 

Treatment. — An attack of angina pec- 
toris is an emergency afiecting life, to which 
there are few equal ; full, instant stimula- 
tion is demanded, and the first agent of the 
kind at hand must be used, till other reme- 
dies and proper assistance can be procured. 
A glass of spirits and water, as hot and 
strong as it can be swallowed, must at once 
be given. A strong mustard-poultice is at 
once to be applied to the front of the chest, 
the same being placed between the should- 
ers, and hot applications made to the feet. 
If the paroxysm be not subdued in a quarter 
of an hour, the stimulant is to be repeated ; 
and this again after the same interval, if 
requisite. Spirits have been mentioned, as 
being the most readily procurable ; but when 
ether and sal- volatile, either one or other, or 
both, are at hand, they are preferable, and 
must be given in just so much water as will 
permit of their being swallowed — a teaspoon- 
ful of each. It is needless, perhaps, to say 
that all these measures of an emergency in 
which not a moment is to be lost are while 
waiting the arrival of the medical attendant, 
and that to him must be intrusted the direc- 
tion of that regulated mode of life which 
must ever be adopted after an attack of this 
disease. 

Remedies. — Belladonna for sharp 
pains, red face. Gelsemium, sharp pains, 
difficult swallowing or talking, dark red 
face, mahogany color. Glonoine, rapid 
pulse, severe pains, better lying down. 



359 



xi6 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Veratrum viride, quick pulse, nausea. Amyl 
nitrite, one part, alcohol, three parts, given 
by inhalation during attack, will give relief 
and no headache. A new remedy, Phaseolus 
nana, introduced recently by Dr. A. M. 
Gushing, Springfield, Mass., is giving won- 
derful results in various diseases of the 
heart ; it is hoped it will prove beneficial in 
this dangerous disease. 

Aphonia — Loss of Voice — Hoarseness. 
— Loss of voice may be owing to inflamma- 
tory swelling, either acute or chronic, or to 
ulceration of the lining membrane of the 
larynx to paralysis, or to hysterical afiec- 
tion. Coming on suddenly, accompanied 
with fever, pain in the larynx and upper 
part of the throat, increased on swallowing, 
with difficulty of breathing, the above symp- 
tom must be regarded with some apprehen- 
sion, as one of the concomitants of a rapidly 
fatal disease, aciite laryngitis. Loss of voice, 
however, frequently occurs quite uncon- 
nected with the other symptoms mentioned, 
and is then not to be so seriously regarded. 
Many persons are liable to it after exposure 
to night or foggy air, or after much or loud 
talking. Persons living in damp houses 
suffer from this form of aphonia, which is 
probably owing to the thickening or great 
susceptibility of the laryngeal membrane. 

Remedies. — Belladonna for sore inflamed 
throat. Kali bichromicum, with much 
hoarseness and accumulation of stringy mu- 
cus in throat. Sanguinaria, for a catarrhal 
condition. Phosphorus without much sore- 
ness. 

Aphthae, or Thrush. — Thrush is more es- 
pecially a disease of early infancy, affecting 
the mouth and throat, the lining membrane of 
which, in this disease, appears as if sprinkled 
over with bits of milk-curd . Recent researches 
have discovered that upon these patches a 
filiform description of minute fungus is 
developed, which probably finds a congenial 
habitat in the disordered secretions which 
are the main feature of the disease : excess 
of acid, and irritation of the mucous lining 
of the bowls, always existing. The disease 
is not generally serious ; it is accompanied 
by slight fever and drowsiness, and passes 
off in eight or ten days; during this time, 
however, it interferes with the child taking 
the breast properly. Aphthae is very often 



the result of improper feeding with bread 
and other things unfit for the infant stomach. 
Remedies. — Prevented by keeping the 
child clean and not too warmly dressed. Ar- 
senicum, a livid bluish appearance of the 
mouth, with weakeness and diarrhea. Borax, 
if the mouth is very sore. Bromide of Potash 
triturated with equal parts of sugar ; a small 
powder every two hours, especially if the 
mouth is dry. Bryonia, if the child will 
not nurse till the mouth is moistened. 
Carbo. veg., mouth hot, discharges sour. 
Chamomilla, if child is nervous and has to 
be carried. Mercurius, mouth white, much 
saliva, offensive smell. 

Asthma is an affection of the chest, char- 
acterized by distressing inability of the person 
suffering from it to inspire sufficient air to fill 
the lungs. The term, although applied by 
medical men to a defined disease, is used 
popularly to denote any difficulty of breath- 
ing, from whatever cause occurring, whether 
from disease of the heart, or any of the varied 
affections of the lungs. Asthma, although 
a nervous or spasmodic affection, is very 
frequently connected with actual changes in 
the lungs themselves. Asthmatic fits come 
on at irregular intervals ; for several days, 
or rather nights, successively, the patient is 
attacked, and a considerable time may then 
elapse before he again suffers ; not that a 
regular asthmatic is in the interval entirely 
free from uneasiness, for there is generally 
some slight oppression of the breathing, 
liable to be aggravated by slight causes. 
Changes in the weather, peculiarity of situa- 
tion, errors in diet, anxiety, fatigue, mental 
excitement, ma}'' any of them induce a par- 
oxysm of asthma in the predisposed. 

Remedies. — Arsenicum, worse at night, 
patient has to sit up in bed, almost constant 
cough, cold perspiration. Carbo. veg., 
stomach full of wind ; belching of wind 
gives brief relief. Ipecac, constant loose 
cough, causes gagging but no raising of 
phlegm. Lachesis, worse after sleep, after 
eating, or moving the arms, or touching the 
throat outside. Nux vomica for persons 
who drink much tea or coffee or liquors, or 
have taken large doses of drugs ; irritable, 
much wind in stomach, costive. Opium, long, 
slow snoring, breathing. Better in cold air ; 
worse after eating, drinking wine or smoking. 



360 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



117 



Bandaging — Many times a plaster of 
ssdhesive or sticking plaster, rightly put on, 
■s best ; for it will keep in position, and stay 
a long time. 

Bilious Diseases. — For vomiting of bitter 
bile, Nux Vomica, a dose once in fifteen or 
thirty minutes till relieved, and especially 
if it is caused by unripe fruit. Pulsatilla, 
if it is caused by greasy food. Veratrum 
alb., if severe vomiting, purging, cold 
clammy skin, cramps in bowels ; dose every 
five or ten minutes, till better. Camphor, 
cold and collapsed with the vomiting. 
Cuprum, great cramping in bowels and 
limbs. 

Diseases of the Bladder. — Many of the 
diseases and disorders of the bladder are 
brought on by carelessness, neglect, or too 
great subservience to the conventional re- 
straints of society ; those persons, especially, 
who habitually or necessarily are frequently 
compelled to restrain the desire, and forego 
for a time the relief of emptying a dis- 
tended bladder, are liable to affections of 
the organ. In early childhood, but some- 
times even beyond puberty, the bladder ha- 
bitually empties itself during sleep ; night 
after night this occurs, and proves a serious 
annoyance and expense too, from the con- 
sequent destruction of bedding. The habit 
or disorder is sometimes extremely difl&cult, 
if not quite impossible, to eradicate. The 
regular use of the cold hip-bath every morn- 
ing is one of the most efl&cient remedies. 

Rkmedies. — Aconite, inflammation and 
strangury from colds. Cantharis, painful 
even bloody urine, or suppression, especi- 
ally during fevers. For stoppage, or very 
painful urination in old people ; there may 
be bloody mucus or pus. Polytrichium 
juniperum tincture, five or ten drops at a 
dose every fifteen minutes for a few doses, 
then every two, three, four, or six hours ; 
or a decoction by steeping it in water and 
half-teaspoonful doses given. Hyoscyamus, 
for weakeness, dribbling, or inability to 
retain the urine in elderly people. For 
children or young people who wet the bed 
the third dilution of the so-called muUen- 
oil, made from the buds and blossoms of 
the mullen, and introduced to the profes- 
sion by Dr. A. M. Cushing of Springfield, 
Mass., is nearly an infallible cure. 

36 



Breast. — Inflammation and Abscess of the 
Breast. — The disease from which the female 
breast most frequently suffers is inflamma- 
tion , followed by abscess . This may occur at 
any time, but most commonly it is within the 
first few weeks after childbirth. Generally 
within twenty-four hours after the birth of 
a child, the breasts become turgid and 
slightly hot, from the increased flow of blood 
which is directed toward them to supply the 
secretion of milk. In this excited condi- 
tion, and indeed during suckling generally, 
they are peculiarly liable to become inflamed; 
cold, any slight bruise, such as that from a 
bone in the stays, over-distension with milk, 
or even mental excitement, may, any of 
them, give rise to the inflammation which 
ends in abscess. If from flatness of the 
nipple, weakness of the child, or any other 
cause, the milk is not well drawn out, 
measures which will relieve must be adopted. 
Various forms of breast-pumps are used, the 
suction being made through them, either 
mechanically or by the mouth . Some nurses 
have the art of drawing the breasts with the 
mouth more thoroughly than any instrument, 
and when such aid can be procured it is right 
to make use of it. 

Symptoms. — The first symptoms of threat- 
ened abscess are pain and knotty hardness 
in the part ; if the process goes on un- 
checked, there is much throbbing and sen- 
sation ot weight, the skin 'over the part 
affected becomes red, gradually thins, and 
at last gives way, allowing the escape of the 
matter, occasionally mixed with milk. Some 
amount of fever accompanies the progress of 
the afiection. After the discharge of the 
matter the abscess may quickly heal, or it 
may remain open and running for a con- 
siderable time. 

RkmEdies. — Abscess or broken breast 
can almost always be prevented by covering 
them entirely and closely with adhesive or 
common sticking plaster. If this cannot be 
done on account of soreness, pack them 
with cloths wrung out of cold water, in 
which is a quantity of corn meal ; wring 
pretty dry ; cover well ; change as often as 
they get warm or dry. Add tincture of 
Myrrh to water ; Belladonna at first, if sore 
and Dainful. If they go on to suppuration, 



Il8 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



to hasten it give Heparsul., and it would 
be much better to give it as high as the 
thirtieth attenuation. 

Bronchitis is inflammation of the mem- 
brane, lining the air-tubes, or bronchi. In 
its subacute and chronic forms it is one ot 
ihe most common diseases, prevailing at all 
seasons, but especially in cold and damp 
weather. 

Acute Bronchitis may commence directly 
in the chest after exposure to cold ; but very 
often, particularly in children, the lining 
membranes of the eyelids, nostrils and 
throat are first affected, and the disease 
spreads downward into the air-passages ot 
the chest. In the latter case, watering of 
the eyes, etc., precedes the actual bronchitic 
attack for a day or two. Acute bronchitis, 
as it occurs in the adu't, is a severe disease, 
requiring prompt medical attendance. 

The rapid progress which this disease 
.^lometimes makes, from its commencement 
to a fatal termination, renders the sending 
for medical assistance as quickly as possible 
an imperative duty ; but the same reason 
renders it important that those around 
should be aware of the best method of treat- 
ment. Confinement to bed is a matter of 
course : foot-baths, hot bran-poultices to the 
chest, and warm diluent drinks are all ser- 
viceable. 

The acute bronchitis of children is not 
usually so rapid and strongly marked a dis- 
ease as that just described; it often begins 
with the irritation of the membrane of the 
nose and eyes, and extends itself into the 
chest. Languor, succeeded by fever, op- 
pressed and quickened respiration, and 
cough, are the usual symptoms. Bran- 
poultices ought to be used to the chest. 
The warm bath may be useful in the first 
stage of depression ; but when fever is high, 
it is not advisable. The bowels, of course, 
will require attention. It is of the greatest 
importance to attend to the atmosphere sur- 
rounding, either child or adult suffering from 
bronchitis : the chamber should be well 
ventilated, and the temperature not suffered 
to fall below 55° Fahr. Bronchitis in chil- 
dren is so hazardous and frequently so fatal 
a disease, that its domestic treatment ought 
never to be undertaken, except under neces- 
sity. Its exciting cause is almost invariably 

36 



cold and moisture, particularly dunng the 
prevalence of east wind in the spring months; 
while careless and ineflBcient clothing among 
the poor, and absurd modes of dressing amid 
the higher classes, render children more sus- 
ceptible of these injurious influences. 

Remedies. — Aconite, if feverish, nerv- 
ous, short dry cough that hurts. Bella- 
donna, if the throat is red, painful, hoarse, 
and patient is stupid. Bryonia, if any 
motion aggravates ; Hydrastis for old 
people . Kali bichromicum , if hoarse croupy 
cough with stingy mucus. Phosphorus, if 
there are pleuritic pains with tightness ex- 
tending to the chest. Rumex, aggravated 
by deep breathing, talking, laughing, or 
cold air. 

Bronchocele — Goitre. — These names are 
given to a swelling in the neck, caused by 
an enlargement of the thyroid gland, situ- 
ated in front of the windpipe. The disease 
is confined to particular districts of countr3^ 

Full throat varies in size, from the enlarge- 
ment so slight as to be scarcely perceptible 
—or even, in some eyes, to add grace to the 
neck — to a tumor many pounds in weight. 
In England or America, however, it seldom 
attains the immense size it does elsewhere. 
Bronchocele is much more common in fe- 
males than in males ; indeed, in this country 
it is rarel}'- seen among the latter ; and in 
both sexes, as a general rule, does not ap- 
pear till after puberty ; children, however, 
do suffer from it even from earliest infanc3^ 
The rise and progress of bronchocele are for 
the most part slow, and unaccompanied 
with pain ; but occasionally rapid enlarge- 
ment occurs, and then pain is severe. 
Coughs, child-bearing, strong muscular ex- 
ertions, are all liable to induce and accel- 
erate the progress of bronchocele : the 
monthly period also exerts considerable in- 
fluence upon it. Females of lymphatic 
temperament are more liable to be attacked. 

Bronchocele is a disease for the most part 
devoid of danger ; the chief inconvenience 
attending it, when of large size, being im- 
pediment to the breathing, and fullness of 
the head arising from obstruction to the cir- 
culation in the vessels of the head and neck. 
The appearance of a large bronchocele is, of 
course, unsightly, although in those locali- 
ties in which it prevails it is scarcely observed. 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



119 



Various causes have been assigned for the 
production of bronchocele ; but none with 
so much probability as that which attributes 
it to the regular use of water containing lime 
and magnesia — impregnations of the fluid 
found coincident with the disease. 

Rkmkdies. — Iodine and Spongia will 
nearly always cure. 

Burns. — Cover thick with lather made 
of Castile soap. If it cracks, cover them 
with same and let it remain till it is healed. 

Cancrum Oris is a species of mortifica- 
tion, affecting the cheek and gums. It oc- 
curs in children of weak, scrofulous consti- 
tution who are ill-fed and exposed to the in- 
fluences of unhealthy habitations, and most 
generally is consequent upon acute disease, 
particularly measles. 

Symptoms . — The usual first symptom of 
the disease is a red, hard, angry-looking 
spot on the cheek, which quickly opens into 
a gangrenous ulcer inside the mouth ; the 
gums become affected, the teeth drop out, 
the breath, as might be expected, is unbear- 
ably fetid, and the extending ulceration 
goes on destroying the cheek and contigu- 
ous parts, till it is either stopped or death 
ensues. 

Remedies. — Mercurius, if much saliva. 
Borax, if very sore; bathe parts frequently 
with tincture of Myrrh, so diluted with water 
it will not smart. 

Carbuncle. — It should be treated kindly 
and never cut, but apply hot fomentations, 
cloths wet with hot water, and tincture of 
Myrrh should be added. If unable to pre- 
vent their forming, poultice with wild in- 
digo-root, finely powdered, wet with chloride 
of limewater, adding to this tincture of 
Myrrh. Give Arsenicum for the burning, 
and Hepar sul. later to hasten suppuration. 

Catarrh. — This being the most prevalent 
disease known, it requires a large number 
of remedies to combat it successfully. At 
the beginning, ordinary remedies for a cold 
in the head will sufiice, but later, others 
must be added. Allium cepa, for bland- 
discharge from the eyes and burning ex- 
coriating discharge from the nose. Arseni- 
cum, burning discharge, watery discharge 
with sensation as if the nose was stopped 
up. Berberis, purulent discharge from the 



nose, left nostril worse. Calcarea carb,, for 
children with enlarged tonsils, scrofulous 
tendency, crooked legs. 

Remedies. — Euphrasia, eyes inflamed, 
full of tears . Hepar sul . , with croupy cough 
from exposure to cold winds. Nux vomica, 
dry nose at commencement, then fluent in 
daytime and dry at night. Costive, Pulsa- 
tilla, thick, yellow, greenish discharge, loss 
of smell and appetite, better out of doors, 
worse in a warm room. Sanguinaria, alter- 
nation of fluent running and stoppage of the 
nose. 

Chilblains. — A chilblain is an inflam- 
matory affection of the skin, more par- 
ticularly of the fingers or toes caused by 
alternations of cold and heat, and is char- 
acterized rather by irritating and trouble- 
some itching than by pain. Persons of 
fine skin, scrofulous constitution or lan- 
guid circulation are most liable to suffer 
from chilblains, and old people and children 
more than persons of middle life. The sud- 
den exposure of the skin when very cold to 
a high temperature is generally and justly 
considered to be an exciting cause of the 
affection ; but one quite as frequent is keep- 
ing the surface in a state of artificial warmth 
by the use of sleeping-socks and hot appli- 
cations in bed, or of fur-lined shoes and 
foot- warmers in the daytime. All these 
applications keep the skin in a continual 
state of unnatural perspiration, weaken its 
tone, and so render it more susceptible to 
the effects of cold when exposed to it. 

Remedies. — Apis, red stinging. Ana- 
cardium , violent itching . Arsenicum , burn- 
ing. Rhus tox., watery blisters. 

Cholera, Asiatic or flalignant. — Symp- 
to7ns. — The violence of its symptoms, and 
the fearful rapidity with which it often 
terminates life, render cholera one of our 
most alarming diseases. Occasionally, but 
more frequently in hot climates than in tem- 
perate ones, persons are, as it were, pros- 
trated at once by the cholera-poison, and 
die, perhaps within an hour of the first 
attack, without any other symptom than 
total collapse of the powers of life. More 
generally the seizure is not so sudden: 
probably there has been slight diarrhea, or 
rumbling movements of the bowels, with 
sinking sensation at the stomach, for some 



363 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



days previously ; or, at all events, the per- 
son has felt unwell. When the disease sets 
in earnestly, which, in the larger proportion 
of cases, it does during the night, the patient 
vomits, and is purged with more or less fre- 
quency and violence, the evacuations quickly 
coming to resemble thin gruel or rice-water ; 
cramps of the limbs succeed, the surface 
becomes cold, blue, bathed in sweat, and 
has, particularly the fingers, a peculiar 
shrunken , sodden appearance ; the tongue 
is cold, the pulse imperceptible ; the urine 
is suppressed, and the voice acquires a pecu- 
liar pitch of tone. Many die in this the col- 
lapse stage of the disease ; but if it is passed 
through, reaction comes on, the surface gets 
warm, the thirst continues, the quick pulse 
becomes perceptible, the tongue is dry and 
brown, and delirum is present ; in short, 
fever is established, and may end either in 
recovery or death. 

Treatment. — During the prevalence of 
cholera, many err in making material 
changes in their ordinary modes of living, and 
by so disordering the regularity of the func- 
tions lay themselves open to attacks of the 
disease. It should be understood that what- 
ever tends to lower the standard of health 
favors the attack of the disease. There is, 
however, one important precaution which 
ought to be observed at all times, indeed, 
but more particularly during the epidemic 
of cholera ; the perfect purity of the drink- 
ing-water should be ascertained, and its 
freedom from all decomposing organic mat- 
ters made certain . Care is also to be observed 
not to take active purgatives, particularly 
salines, which produce watery evacuation ; 
for whatever produces free action of the 
bowels apparenttly increases the suscepti- 
bility to attack. For this leason, too, the 
slightest tejidency to diarrhea should be at once 
arrested by the aromatic spirits of camphor, 
repeated as often as requisite, and the use of 
milk and farinaceous preparations contain- 
ing gelatinous food. The speedy adoption 
of these measures in places distant from 
medical assistance, might do much to check 
the disease. 

Remedies. — Arsenicum, burning, ex- 
hausting discharges, thirsty, drinks little and 
often. Camphor, vomiting, diarrhea with 
severe cramps in bowels and limbs. Vera- 



trum alb., profuse vomiting and watery dis- 
charges, cold flesh, cramps. In this dis- 
ease give medicine every five minutes at 
first ; keep patient warm. 

Colic is the painful spasmodic contrac- 
tion of the muscular fibers of the bowels, 
occasioned by the presence of an undue 
amount of wind, or of some irritating mat- 
ter ; it may also be brought on by exposure 
to cold. 

Remedies. — Hot applications to abdo- 
men. Carbo veg. , if sour eructations. Colo- 
cynth, sharp, cutting pains, obliging one to 
bend double which relieves. Dioscorea, se- 
vere, dull or snarp pains, better bending 
backwards. Chamomilla,ifthe pain begins in 
small of back and runs down to region of the 
bladder with vomiting. Nux vomica, dull 
aching pains, if caused by unripe fruit. Cos- 
tive, Pulsatilla, from food, especially greasy 
food. Plumbum, violent colic with great 
contraction of abdomen in region of navel. 

Constipation. — For a general constipated 
habit, Nux vomica at night. Sulphur in the 
morning. Bryonia, for large feces ; Nux 
vomica, small balls ; Opium, small dark 
balls. Ratanhia, for soreness of rectum, 
bowels costive, or loose slimy or bloody 
discharge. It may also be given three 
grains rectal suppositories at night. 

Convulsions. — Convulsions may be 
either general or partial, affecting only the 
muscles of the eyes or eyelids, of the face, 
or of one of the extremities, or of one side 
of the body ; or they may shake the whole 
frame in convulsive agitation, such as occur 
in epilepsy. 

When a Child is seized with Convulsions, 
the most generally available remedy is the 
warm bath, and if used with judgment is a 
good one. The temperature should be g8° ; 
if the child is strong and plethoric, it should 
not be immersed above the waist, and, while 
in the bath, cold should be applied to the 
head ; if the child is weak, it may be put in 
the water above the shoulders ; in either 
case the immersion is to be continued for 
twenty minutes, and an injection ol warm 
water and soapsuds immediately admin- 
istered. When the child is taken out of the 
bath, it should at once be wrapped up in 
warm blankets and laid in its cradle or in 



364 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



121 



bed, and cold used to the head, or not, as 
thought well ; and if the fits still continue, 
mustard-plasters made with half oatmeal 
may be applied to the legs, but must be re- 
moved as soon as the skin is well reddened. 

When an Adult is seized with Convulsions, 
the treatment, conducted upon the same 
principles, must be very similar to that 
recommended for a child, with exception of 
the bath, which cannot be conveniently 
used ; in its stead, a warm bed, with hot 
applications to the feet, limbs, etc., must 
be substituted, and mustard-plasters may be 
used more freely. If there is much heat or 
excited action about the head, it should be 
shaved, or the hair cut close off, and cold 
or iced applications freely employed. In 
following out these directions, the non- 
professional will be doing much, and indeed 
all they can legitimately do during the 
longer or shorter interval that must neces- 
sarily elapse before the case is seen by a 
medical man. Lastly, it must be borne in 
mind that convulsions are not unfrequent in 
extreme intoxication, and also in poisoning 
from narcotics, such as opium ; their occur- 
rence from such causes would, of course, 
materially modify the treatment. In chil- 
dren particularly, they are unquestionably 
the frequent result of the administration of 
laudanum, and more frequently still of 
quack soothing medicines' and elixirs. 

Remedies. — Chamomilla, for teething 
children. Spigelia, if caused by worms. 
To relieve spasms, let them inhale Amyl 
nitrite, one part, alcohol, nine parts, till 
relieved. 

Cramp. — Cuprum for cramps anywhere. 
Phosphorus for cramps in limbs, especially 
in pregnant females. 

Croup is an inflammatory affection of the 
larynx and upper portions of the air-pas- 
sages . It is peculiar to children — males are 
more liable to it than females — and when 
one in a family suffers from the disease, the 
rest almost certainly have a tendency to it. 
The malady seldom occurs during the first 
year of life, but is most frequent in the 
second ; at puberty the tendency to it ceases, 
although cases of genuine croup have occur- 
red after that period. The rapidity with 
which croup at times progresses to a fatal 



termination, and the distressing character of 
the malady , always render it a dreaded disease. 

Symptoms. — Croup may begin very sud- 
denly. A child goes to bed to all appear- 
ance perfectly well, and in the course of two 
or three hours comes a cough which strikes 
even the most unobservant as peculiar, and 
which, falling upon the ear of the anxious 
parent who has ever heard it before, tells at 
once of danger. The child seems as if it 
coughed through a brazen tube. Perhaps 
at first the little invalid is not awakened, 
and, if now visited, is found flushed and 
fevered, moaning slightly, perhaps, and 
restless, the breathing slightly quickened ; 
the cough comes again, the child awakes or 
is awakened : if it speaks the voice is hoarse ; 
if it cries, hoarser still. Should the disease 
be neglected at this time, or go on uncon- 
trolled, the cough, still retaining its peculiar 
character, becomes more frequent ; the 
breathing, quickened, is also accompanied 
by the characteristic dry wheezing occa- 
sioned by narrowing of the passage through 
which the air is drawn. 

Remedies. — Aconite, sudden attacks in 
night, high fever, child throws itself around. 
Hepar sul., worse in the morning, rattling 
cough but no raising of phlegm. Hoarse, 
dry, barking cough. Kali bichromicum, 
worse early in morning, the mucus in throat 
is very stringy, hard to remove. Spongia, 
hoarse, sawing sound and gets worse in the 
evening. Spasmodic cough that comes first 
suddenly in the night is not generally dan 
gerous ; but a slight croupy cough at night, 
well the next day, and reappearing the next 
night is always dangerous, liable to result 
in membranous croup. Benninghausens' 
treatment. Aconite, Hepar sul. and Spongia 
in alternation or rotation has proved very 
successful in many cases. A very eflficient 
help is a cold damp compress not too wet, 
well covered up and changed as often as it 
gets warm or dry. The remedies at first cap 
be often repeated. Kali bichromicum had 
better be given the second or third decimal 
trituration. The other remedies act better 
higher. 

Diarrhea. — Antimonium crudum, dis- 
ordered stomach, tongue coated white, 
bitter vomiting, worse after eating or drink- 
ing. Arsenicum, watery, burning discharges, 



365 



122 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



worse about midnight, prostration, great 
thirst, but drinks but little at a time. 
Bryonia, from change of weather, eating 
fruit; painful , worse from motion . Calcarea 
carb., during dentition, child light skin, 
large head and crooked legs. Chamomilla 
during dentition, discharges green, painful, 
watery, looks like chopped eggs. Mer- 
curius, green or bloody discharges, great 
straining at stool, can't get done. Rheum, 
greenish-brown fermented discharges, sour 
discharges, child smells sour. 

Veratrum alb., profuse vomiting and 
diarrhea, cold skin. 

If thirsty during diarrhea, the patient 
should be allowed to drink large quantities 
of pure cold water, and quite a quantity at 
a time, as a small quantity is liable to be 
thrown up at once. 

Dislocations. — It is necessary to speak of 
only one dislocation, and that is, the back- 
ward dislocation of the thumb, which is 
considered and given in the books as one of 
the worst to reduce. It is advised to apply 
straps, to pull even with pulleys is recom- 
mended. Sometimes it is left dislocated, 
sometimes the ligaments are cut, destroying 
the use of the joint, and the thumb has been 
amputated ; still it is one of the easiest to 
reduce. Grasp the injured hand, palm 
down, place the end of both thumbs against 
the end of the dislocated bone, place both 
of your fore-fingers under the middle of the 
thumb, then with the fore-finger lift the dis- 
located thumb to a standing position at 
right angles with the connecting bone ; 
then give a quick, strong push with both 
thumbs, pushing it off the other bone ; 
remove the fore-fingers, and with the thumbs 
bend the thumb to its natural position. If 
done soon after the injury it is almost 
painless. 

If it has been done some time, and it is 
swollen, it may be necessary to give an 
anesthetic. 

Dysentery. — Cantliaris,for painful bloody 
discharges with painful urination. Colo- 
cynth, yellow, frothy or bloody stools with 
severe colicky pains, causing the patient to 
bend double , which gives relief. Mercurius , 
green, frothy or bloody discharge, worse in 
cool evenings Painful urination. 



Headache. — A vena, pain in back of head 
and neck. Belladonna, beating, throbbing 
headache, worse lying down, red face. 
Bryonia, head painful and sore, worse on 
moving. Calcarea phos., headache of 
school girls. Glonoine, dark red face, 
throbbing headache, better lying down, 
head feels big. 

Nux vomica, dull pain, worse in front 
of head, nausea, constipation. Pulsatilla, 
headache from indigestion, especially from 
greasy food, better out-of-doors, worse in 
room ; particularly adapted to females. 
Sanguinaria, pain begins in the back of the 
head, extends forward over right eye. 

Heart. — Digitalis is the remedy most 
frequently used for weak heart action, but 
has to be given in large doses of the fluid 
extract, and that is quite apt to produce 
nausea and vomiting. Glonoine is the 
remedy for rapid action, especially if there 
is rapid breathing as after running. Spigelia 
is beneficial in neuralgia of or about the 
breast. 

Veratrum viride can be given for rapid 
action of the heart, but must be stopped if 
it causes nausea. Amyl nitrite, one part 
to three to five, according to the patient, of 
alcohol and inhaled. 

Hemorrhage. — Hemorrhages may be 
arterial or venous. If arterial, the blood 
will be bright, and comes in jets or spurts, 
while venous blood is dark and oozes con- 
stantly. The arterial is the most dangerous, 
Hamamelis for dark blood. Ipecac for 
bright blood from mouth or nose, especially 
if there is nausea. Phosphorus for hot 
bright red blood. 

Indigestion, — Nux vomica, where food 
distresses, bowels constipated, dull, frontal 
headache. Dioscorea for chronic indiges- 
tion with constipation, pain in bowels. Pul- 
.satilla, food distresses, bowels loose, feels 
better in the open air. Better for indiges- 
tion, especially if their is diarrhea, than all 
the Peptones in the market, is six grains of 
Codea well mixed in a mortar with one 
ounce of phosphate of lime, then add and 
mix in the same way one ounce of Sub- 
nitrate of Bismuth. Take about five grains 
before and after each meal, wash it down 
with cold water. 



366 



THE FA MIL V DOCTOR 



123 



Lumbago. — Berberis vulgaris is the best 
remedy for general lame back. Belladonna, 
for simple aching. Bryonia, lameness, 
worse moving. Rhus tox., better by con- 
tinual moving. 

Measles is one of the eruptive fevers, 
which most persons go through once in a 
lifetime, and generally during childhood ; 
the disease usually occurs as an epidemic, 
and is contagious. 

The First Symptoms of measles are those 
of a feverish cold ; there is shivering, head- 
ache, loss of appetite, and perhaps vomiting ; 
the eyes look red, and, as well as the nose, 
furnish increased watery discharge ; there 
is hoarseness and cough. On the fourth 
day of the disease, or in from seventy to 
eighty- four hours after the first symptoms 
of sickness have shown themselves, the pe- 
culiar eruption of measles begins to appear, 
generally about the forehead, then on the 
neck and arms, and thence extends to the 
trunk and extremities ; at first the eruption 
shows only in red points, not unlike flea- 
bites, but these soon enlarge into rather 
broad, slightly purplish, crescent-shaped 
spots, which are just perceptibly elevated 
above the skin. At this period the skin is 
hot, there is a good deal of general fever, 
with thirst, and much hoarse cough, with 
quickened breathing. After remaining out 
about four days, the eruption— first, of 
course, on the face — begins to decline, and 
by the seventh day it has generally disap- 
peared, leaving the skin slightly roughened, 
followed by separation of the cuticle in 
small scales. 

Treatmkmt. — In any case of measles, 
the safest plan is, of course, to have medi- 
cal attendance ; very many parents, how- 
ever, in the humbler classes, when the 
prevailing epidemic is mild in character, 
take the matter in their own hands, and do 
little more than keep their children in bed 
for a day or two, if they do even that. 
There is no question that a mild attack of 
measles will get well without any treatment ; 
but in even the mildest, ordinary care to 
guard against cold should be observed, this 
being, of course, requisite in proportion to 
the season of the year. If the attack be a 
smart one, the person should be kept in bed 
and moderately warm, allowed to drink 



freely of diluent and especially of demulcent 
drinks, such as barley-water. The diet 
should consist of milk and farinaceous mat- 
ters ; cooling fruits and such like may be 
allowed, the bowels at the same time being 
attended to, but not purged. Should the 
eruption of measles seem tardy in coming 
out, or come out small or insufficiently, or, 
after having shown itself, should it disap- 
pear again suddenly and before the time of 
its regular decline, danger must be appre- 
hended. The warm bath is at once the 
safest and the best remedy ; the child being 
kept in the water — temperature 98° — from 
ten to twenty minutes, according to age. 

Remedies. — Aconite, for the chills or 
fever. If this does not relieve, Bryonia may 
be alternated with it. Bryonia for the cough ; 
Drosera for the cough that may follow. 
Pulsatilla for the eye, nose and throat 
symptoms. If the frequent repetition of 
Aconite and Bryonia does not bring out the 
eruption the patient may take a drink of 
sour cider in which is a small powder of 
soda or saleratus, to be drank while foam- 
ing. If this, fails to bring out the eruption, 
a cold wet sheet pack, rightly applied, will 
do it. 

flenses. — Aconite, feverish, nervous, 
severe, dull cramping pain in bowels and 
pain in back ; she has to bend double. Stop- 
page of flow. Belladonna, violent throb- 
bing headache, violent bearing down . Sleepy 
but unable to sleep, delirious. Caulophyl- 
lum, labor- like pains. Cimicifuga, severe 
pains, extending down the limbs. Pul- 
satilla, mild, tearful disposition, hystericaly 
weeps, colicky pains, suppressed, scant, 
and irregular flow. 

Senecio gracilis, for suppressed menses, 
called Female Regulator. The most potent 
remedy for pains is the inhalation of a mix- 
ture of Amyl nitrite, one part, alcohol, 
three parts. Inhale as often as is necessary 
on account of pain. 

Mumps. — A contagious epidemic disease, 
which consists of inflammation of the sali- 
vary " parotid " glands, situated on either 
side of the lower jaw. It commences with 
more or less fever ; shortly, swelling at the 
angle of the jaw appears, and spreads gradu- 
ally to the face and neck in the vicinity oi 



367 



124 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



the gland, causing much difficulty and pain 
when the jaws are attempted to be opened : 
on the fourth or fifth day the swelling begins 
to subside. 

Remedies. — Belladonna and Proto- 
lodide of Mercury, with the patient kept 
warm, is generally all that is required. 

Neuralgia. — This is perhaps one of the 
most painful aflfections to which the human 
body is liable. In most instances the pain 
is the only symptom ; in some it is accom- 
panied with marked constitutional or local 
ailment. The most general seat of neuralgic 
pain is in the head or face ; but the fingers, 
the chest, the abdomen, etc., may any of 
them constitute its site. When the great 
nerve of the leg is affected with neuralgia, 
the disorder is known as Sciatica. 

Remedies. — Belladonna for neuralgia 
of the head, or in any part, if pain comes 
suddenly and goes suddenly ; Avena for 
pain in back of head. Gelsemium,, pain, 
with dark red face and pain in side of face. 
Kalmia Latifolia is the remedy for facial 
neuralgia. Glonoine, pain in head, head 
feels large, and the pain is relieved by lying 
down ; worse on rising. Nux vomica, 
neuralgia of the head, begins in the morn- 
ing, lasts all day, better in the evening, with 
sour, bitter vomiting. Sanguinaria, pain 
begins in back of head, extends over to the 
front of the head, and settles over right eye. 

Palpitation of the Heart. — If it appears 
occasionally, it is doubtless occasioned by 
some disturbance of the stomach or liver, 
and the treatment should be directed to the 
offending organ. 

Piles, or Hemorrhoids, are tumors which 
form at the verge of the anus or fundament, 
and may be situated either within or without 
the bowel : they are either what are called 
" Blind " or they are Bleeding Piles. Piles 
are often constituted by an enlargement or 
' ' varicose ' ' condition of the veins situated 
about this part, this enlargement being 
caused by whatever tends to obstruct the 
return of the blood through the veins of the 
abdomen generally ; thus, affections of the 
liver, constipation, with overloaded bowels, 
pregnancy, etc. , are all frequent causes of 
this form of piles, in which the swellings 
are generally smooth and of the color of the 
surrounding skin. 



Remedies. — ^sciilus hip., protruding 
piles, bleeding slightly, costive, lame back. 
Aloes, protruding piles, like bunches of 
grapes hot and sore, relieved by cold or hot 
water, prolapsus of the rectum. Collinsonia, 
piles with sensation as there were sticks in 
the rectum. Graphites, protrusion of rectum 
with stool, or passing of wind. Ignatia, 
bleeding piles with pains shooting high up 
into the rectum. Hamamelis, very sore, 
bleeding piles. Nux vomica, after taking 
purgative medicines, persons of sedentary 
habits, after liquors of any kind, dull head- 
ache, costive. Podophyllum, piles and pro- 
trusions of rectum of long standing. Ratan- 
hia, protruding piles, hard or soft stool,, 
burning and soreness of rectum. Rectum 
very sensitive. Three grains Ratanhia sup- 
positories may be used. Sulphur, all kinds 
of piles, constant ineffectual urging to stool ; 
thin bloody stools. Hot water is the best 
general application. 

Pleurisy — This is an inflammation ot 
the pleura, or serous membrane which covers 
the lungs and lines the greater part of the 
cavity of the chest. 

Causes. — Exposure to wet and cold is the 
most common cause, but it may come on 
after an accident in which the ribs are 
broken, or cases of stabbing in the chest, or 
from a gunshot wound or other internal 
injuries. 

Symptoms . — The patient first complains 
of a severe catching pain in the affected 
side, and this is made worse on taking a 
deep inspiration, or coughing : the pain is 
usually confined to one spot, and on listen- 
ing there one may hear a rubbing sound, due 
to the roughened surfaces moving on each 
other. 

Remedies. — Aconite, for fever, if chilly 
with sharp cutting pains. Belladonna, 
sharp cutting pains that come and go sud- 
denly with beating headache. Bryonia, 
with or without fever, hurts to breathe or 
move. Phosphorus, sharp cutting pain that 
comes occasionally without fever. 

Pneumonia. — Symptoms. — This is an 
inflammation of the proper substance of the 
lungs. The disease generally announces 
itself with a chill or chilly feeling, which 
lasts from half an hc<ur to an hour or two 
before a sensation of heat can be produced. 



368 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



125 



The temperature will rise on the first day, 
and sometimes reaches 103°- 105°. There 
is pain in the back and loins, and loss of 
appetite and flushed face. The first dedided 
symptom of pneumonia will be shortness of 
breath, so that only short sentences are 
spoken without the need of breathing, and 
there is a "stitch" in the side. Do not 
postpone sending for a doctor, especially if 
the patient is old, feeble, or a child. 

Remedie;s. — When the premonitory 
symptoms appear, such as being chilly, ach- 
ing all over, — head, body and limbs, — a 
little difiiculty of breathing, pneumonia is 
pretty sure to follow, unless energetically 
combated. 

In such cases, it is well to alternate 
Bryonia and Aconite ; a dose every fifteen 
minutes till relieved, then every half hour 
or hour. If this does not abort it, and it 
will nearly always do it, and there is pain 
in lungs and troublesome cough, give Phos- 
phorus. After the pain is relieved, and 
there is a tight cough give Heparsul. ; if a 
loose cough, give Tartar emet. 

Quinsy Sore Throat. — Belladonna at 
first. If that, with cold water compress on 
outside, does not abort it, give Hepar sul., 
and poultice with hot boiled potatoes. 

Rheumatism. — Under this well-known 
name are comprehended two forms of disease, 
differing greatly from each other — so greatly, 
indeed, as to be distinguished even by the 
unprofessional . The acute form of rheuma- 
tism, frequently called "rheumatic fever" 
by medical men, is popularly named " the 
rheumatics," while the chronic form, the 
" chronic rheumatism " of the physician, is 
known to the public as simply ' ' rheuma- 
tism," or, in vulgar parlance, as " the rheu- 
matiz." "Muscular rheumatism" is also 
included under the term rheumatism . 

Remediks. — Aconite, fever, dry, hot 
skin, stitching, pains in chest. Belladonna, 
tearing cutting pains deep in bones, high 
fever, dry skin, thirst, worse at night, flesh 
so sore don't dare let one come near the bed. 
Bryonia, swelling of any muscles, great pain 
on the slightest motion, thirst for large 
quantities of cold water. Ammonium 
phos . , for enlargement of j oints . Artemisia 
abrotanum, for severe pain before there is 



any swelling. Caulophyllum, for rheuma- 
tism of fingers or wrist joints. Cimicifuga, 
severe pain in chest. Hamamelis, internal 
and external for great soreness of flesh, 
lycdum, pain in limbs, hip joint and knees, 
worse in warm bed. Mercurius, tearing 
pains, worse at night and damp weather, 
profuse perspiration which gives no relief. 
Rhus tox., caused by exposure to wet or 
damp weather, worse during rest and begin- 
ning to move, but better by continued mo- 
tion. Spigelia, affecting the heart. 

Rickets is a disease in which the bones 
lose their earthy constituents, and conse- 
quently their natural hardness, becoming 
soft like gristle, and somewhat brittle, so 
that they are not only easily bent, but easily 
broken . The term rickets is usually applied 
to this softening, when it occurs in childhood; 
but a similar disease also attacks adults, es- 
pecially females. Rickets is a constitutional 
disease, and is very generally associated 
with a tendency to scrofula, either hereditary 
or engendered by poor living and unhealthy 
influences, such as deficient ventilation and 
light, impure damp air, and bad food. 

Remedies. — Calcarea carb., or calcarea 
phos., will cure nearly every case if given 
early and continued. 

Saint Vitus's Dance, known to medical 
men by the name of " Chorea,'" is a disease 
strongly indicative of nervous disorder ; its 
precise nature, however, is at present ob- 
scure. Probably it may be occasioned by 
direct causes, that is, by causes seated in the 
great centers of the nervous system, or by 
indirect causes, which act by ' ' reflex action. ' ' 

Symptoms. — The most manifest symptom 
of St. Vitus's dance is continued involuntary 
action of the voluntary muscles, to a greater 
or less degree — the extent of the muscles 
affected, and the intensity of their affection, 
varying with the severity of the disease. 
The disease generally commences with 
twitching about the face or neck, or in a 
particular limb, gradually extending to one 
side of the body, or to the whole body, as 
the case may be. Pain is seldom complained 
of, but it does sometimes occur in the head. 

Remedies. — Agaricus muscarius, is the 
most potent remedy. Helleborus, if brain 
fected. Ignatia, for twiching of single 
muscles. 



369 



126 



THE FAMILY DOCTOR 



Scarlatina and Scarlet Fever. — Scarlet 
fever belongs to the class of eruptive fevers, 
and is characterized by symptoms so well 
marked that it can scarcely be mistaken for 
any other disease, even by unprofessional 
persons. 

They?r5/ synipto77i complained of, in the 
incipient stage of scarlet-fever, is sore- 
throat, either accompanied or quickly suc- 
ceeded by the usual symptoms of a feverish 
attack, shivering, headache, loss of appetite, 
generally vomiting, followed by heat of skin , 
quick pulse, and thirst. The eruption ap- 
pears early, on the second day after the first 
symptoms of indisposition. It first shows 
itself in the form of minute red points on 
the chest and arms, especially about the 
elbows, the points becoming more numerous 
till they form one difi"used surface of a tol- 
erably bright scarlet eruption, which extends 
to the neck, face, abdomen and body gen- 
erally. 

Remedies. — Belladonna is nearly a sure 
preventive of pure scarlet fever. Acon- 
ite, in the commencement, nervous, high 
fever, and delayed eruptions. Belladonna, 
for fever, headache, sore throat, stupid. 
Cantharis, for suppressed urination, and 
sometimes Apis for the same trouble with 
dropsy. If it puts on a malignant form, 
Ailanthus is the remedy or alternated with 
Lachesis. For the dropsy, if Apis does not 
relieve, make a decoction of the common 
white field bean (bean and pod), and let 
them drink freely of it for a few hours. 

Typhoid Fever. — Probably no other dis- 
ease has been as unskillfuUy and unsuccess- 
fully treated as typhoid fever. A number 
of years ago a professor in Harvard Medical 
School said, " Gentlemen, I do not believe 
in homeopathy, for there is nothing to it ; 
but the homeopathists beat us in fevers, and 
how do they do it ? They let theirs alone, 
and they get well ; we physic ours and they 
die." At this time many physicians give 
no medicine, but watch and feed the patients. 
None but an educated physician should 
treat this disease, yet any intelligent person 
could watch and feed them. It is eminently 
a disease of the intestinal tract, and this 
should be kindly treated, and allowed to 
rest. Food cannot be digested, and any 



food is a foreign body if undigested, causing 
irritation and fever. When milk is given, 
the water invigorates, the solid parts excite 
the fever, and for a little the patient seems 
stronger and better, but reaction soon comes 
and the milk stimulus must be repeated. 
The milk is not digested but passes through 
the intestines an irritant or excitant. If 
water is given, the patient revives as well as 
with the milk, and there is no correspond- 
ing depression ; the bowels are kept quiet, 
are able to digest and assimilate the food as 
soon as the fever turns. 

If plenty of good cold (not icy cold) 
water is given the fever rarely runs over 
three weeks and not often over two. The 
water should be used externally and intern- 
ally, and unless there is some complication 
or serious outside influences the patient will 
very rarely die. 

Remedies. — Arsenicum, for weak debili 
tated persons, tongue dark, great thirst, drink 
little and often, brownish, watery, involun- 
tary discharges from bowels, suppressed or 
involuntary urination. Baptisia given early 
may abort it ; later the patient thinks there 
are two parts of them that they can't get 
together. Belladonna, great congestion of 
the brain, drowsy but unable to sleep, de- 
lirium, tries to run away. Bryonia, delir- 
ious at night, dull piercing headache, eyes 
dull, watery ; worse from opening eyes or 
from motion, tongue coated thick, white or 
yellow ; later, brown and dry ; difficult 
breathing, thirsty for large quantities of cold 
water. Cantharis, painful or suppressed 
urination. Carbo. veg., cold breath, col- 
lapse, threatened paralysis of lungs. Hyo- 
scyamus, wild delirium; Muriatic acid, for 
great prostration with tendency to slide 
down in bed. Phosphorus, if the lungs be- 
come complicated. Rhus tox. , talks to him- 
self, constant muttering, bleeding from 
nose ; tip of tongue red, bowels loose, worse 
at night, patient better by moving. 

Worms. — Calcarea carb. Cina., pin- 
worms. Ratanhia is a specific. 

Wozmds. — For cut wounds Calendula 
(from marigold flowers) is the best applica- 
tion, and a wash of the same for other 
wounds. 



370 



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